JMCSS responds to charter school recommendation, Dr. King issues Call to Action
PRESS RELEASE VIA JACKSON-MADISON COUNTY SCHOOL SYSTEM: (Click here or scroll down for Superintendent Dr. Marlon King’s Call to Action)
Response of Jackson-Madison County Schools (JMCSS) to Executive Director’s Recommendation
JMCSS respectfully disagrees with the Executive Director’s Recommendation dated October 2, 2023. The Recommendation contains significant inconsistencies when compared to other recommendations from the Executive Director (ED) without any legitimate, non discriminatory reasons cited for the inconsistencies.
In prior recommendations, the failure of the charter sponsor to identify a location for the school has been cited by the ED as a response for a denial recommendation. For example, the ED, in recommending denial of the Academy of the Arts Charter High School application in October 2021, stated: “[W]ith regard to the facilities plan, the Sponsor has not set forth any specific location for the future site of AACHS . . . . [T]he Sponsor has yet to put forth any firm commitments to cover the costs of those facility renovations. While the identification of a facility is not a requirement for approval, reasonable facility options and location options are critical for the success of a school . . . .” The ED, in recommending denial of the Rutherford Collegiate Prep application in January 2022, stated: “Since no authorizer can approve a school based on contingencies or conditions, it is required that an approved application be ready to implement with few substantive details left for later development . . . the Sponsor needs to clearly delineate its financial modeling, inclusive of facility contingencies . . . to demonstrate long-term viability.” The ED, in recommending denial of the Binghampton Community School Appeal application in October 2021, stated: “The applicant’s operations plan partially meets standard because the review committee found the plans and time line for renovating the temporary space [to be] vague . . . the review committee was unable to determine whether the timeline and budgeted totals were sufficient.” Further, in the ED’s October 2, 2023, recommended denial of American Classical Academy Maury (ACAM) application, the ED stated: “Without any specific details related to the facility plans, the review committee was unable to determine whether the plan for financing and renovating the facility aligned with the financial projections.”
The American Classical Academy Jackson-Madison (ACAJM) application has not identified a location for the proposed school (except a vague reference to East Jackson) which is no different than ACAM’s reference to Columbia. Without more than vague references to “possible” sites, how can one evaluate the facility, safety, transportation, or fiscal plans? What are the legitimate, non-discriminatory reasons for requiring more stringent requirements in Maury County than in Madison County? In recommending denial of the ACAM application, the ED stated that “gaps remain within the academic plan around assessments, services to special populations, an d school culture” and that “the application lacks specific information and processes for oversight for students from spec ial populations. RTI and MTSS are identified in the application as a structure to support students needing intervention, but the information is vague and does not indicate how and when students will be identified or monitoring processes.” These deficiencies were cited by the JMCSS Review Committee and by the JMCSS Board of Education as reasons for denial. The ACAM and ACAJM applications were practically identical. The ED notes the deficiency in the ACAM application but ignores the same deficiency in the ACAJM application. Are the specific needs of special populations of Madison County not as deserving of the same protection as the special populations of Maury County? What is the legitimate, non discriminatory reason to reach different conclusions in the two applications? As JMCSS is limited to a one-page response, the above inconsistencies are only a few examples of the inequitable and inconsistent application of the rubric to the ACAJM applicatio n. The expectations and standards should be applied in a non-discriminatory manner to all school districts. The ACAJM application does not meet or exceed the standards in all scoring rubric sections. Therefore, the Commission should reject the ED’s recommendation and uphold the decision of the JMCSS Board of Education to deny the amended application of ACAJM.
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VIA JMCSS SUPERINTENDENT DR. MARLON KING:
A Message from the Superintendent
A CALL TO ACTION
Serving in a capacity where your recommendation to a governing body carries immense weight should never be taken lightly. As the leader of Jackson-Madison County Schools (JMCSS), I have always ensured that my recommendations are grounded in facts, while upholding principles of fairness and justice.
Recently, Tess Stovall, the Executive Director of the TN Public Charter Commission, has put forth a recommendation ( click here) to approve the controversial Hillsdale-affiliated charter schools. It’s disheartening to note that the President of the college has demeaned teachers with derogatory remarks. While we have prepared a statement for the Charter Commission’s consideration, I cannot remain silent around the indictment without informing our stakeholders, teachers, staff, families, and supporters about some troubling concerns regarding what seems to be unethical and discriminatory actions against JMCSS students and families.
Both Jackson-Madison and Maury Counties’ Boards of Education denied the American Classical Charter Schools, yet the ED is recommending to deny JMCSS Board of Education and Review Committee’s recommendation to deny the charter school. Strangely, she recommended accepting the Maury County Board of Education and Review Committee’s recommendation to deny the charter when both systems received practically the same application from American Classical Education.
Let me provide some context. The ED cites concerns for special needs students and facility location in Maury County’s application as a basis for denying their charter. However, she has overlooked the same concern around special needs students in Jackson -Madison County’s application. Shouldn’t JMCSS special needs students be afforded the same consideration when it comes to providing adequate services? The ED mentions concerns around facilities as a reason for denying the charter for Maury, and there is clear evidence where several charter applications have been denied due to facility concerns. JMCSS had facility concerns cited in the application as a reason for denial, but once again, the ED does not consider this in the recommendation. The Commission provided a rubric for everyone to follow, and it should serve as the equalizer when we think about creating charter schools for Tennessee’s students. Nevertheless, it is evident that JMCSS is not being evaluated by the same metrics as Maury.
This is a CALL TO ACTION. Your voice, email, or statement must be heard by the Charter Commission and elected officials regarding what is a blatant injustice against JMCSS. Providing varied learning options for families in Jackson-Madison County has been a hallmark for the Board and this administration. Unique options like our cyberschool, Jackson Academic STEAM Academy, as well as Community Montessori, Northeast Middle Academic Academy, and JCM-Early College High have provided families with many choices outside of our traditional educational platforms. While we do value diverse choices for families, we are resolute in our belief that American Classical Academy
Madison (ACAM) fails to meet the standards set by the Tennessee Department of Education’s application-scoring rubric. For these reasons, we stand by our Board’s decision to deny the ACAM appeal and ask that the Tennessee Public Charter School Commission honor decisions made by our locally elected officials. Please contact the Charter Commission to express your disbelief about this recommendation and encourage them to support denying the American Classical Academy Jackson-Madison charter school. Click here for Charter Commission.
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