Cheatham & Robertson County School Boards Say No to Charters, 5-0

from the Tennessean:

The Cheatham County School Board rejected an application on Tuesday for a proposed charter school.

The board voted 5-0 to deny the application for Cumberland Academy. Board member Willy Johnson was absent.

Supporters of the school plan to appeal the decision to the board. They have 15 days to make the appeal.

“We still feel empowered and committed to our mission. We look forward to the appeal and continued conversation,” said Jimmy Hopper, a Cheatham County Central High School social studies teacher who submitted the application along with former Cheatham Middle School teacher Jonny Gersten.

Under the proposal presented, Cumberland Academy would open in the fall of 2015 and start with the fifth-grade and then add a grade level each year until it reaches twelfth grade.

The Cheatham County school district’s charter school review committee did not recommend the application.

The review committee met on June 10 with the school supporters to review the application and ask questions about the school’s operations.

Both supporters and opponents addressed the board for about an hour before the vote.

Under the funding formula, the state and local per-pupil dollar amount follows students to their new schools, which is a major sticking point for charter school opponents.

and

The Robertson County Board of Education on Tuesday voted 5-0 to deny the application for a charter school in Springfield. Stephanie Mason, supervisor of federal programs for Robertson County Schools, said the application did not meet requirements regarding academics, operations and finances.