JMCSS votes on charter school’s second application
JACKSON, Tenn. —Â Jackson-Madison County School System held a specially called board meeting to discuss and vote on the ACE Charter amended application.
This is the group’s second attempt to gain approval to open a charter in the Hub City. The meeting started by opening the floor to public comment. Some people spoke in favor of the charter school.
“Therefore we must, for the sake of our children, conclude that something is not working in Madison County,” one resident said.
There were also numerous people who were opposed to the proposed school.
“While the addition of a charter school may be an appropriate addition in the future, now is not the time for our tax dollars to be diverted from a local school system into a school that is a private enterprise,” another resident said.
School Board member Jason Compton says that this was not a vote based on charter schools as a whole, but for this specific charter school application.
“I think that the sole thing that the committee and the board had to go on was the specific application for this specific charter. The board is not voting on any generalities, we’re [not] denying charter schools. It was a specific amended application, for this specific charter,” Compton said.
A review committee was put together to go through the application and score it, based on a parameters provided by the state. This review led to a recommendation to deny the amended application, which the board voted to accept the recommendation.
“When the review committee goes and does that and every section falls short, with very specific reasons why, which were outlined in the resolution that was approved, that’s what we go off of,” Compton said.
There were over 70 items in the resolution for why the amended application did not meet the parameters.
ACE now has 10 days to submit an appeal to the state.
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