Governor Bill Lee has named the nine members of a new Public Charter School Commission, including Tom Griscom of Chattanooga as an East Tennessee representative.
Others on the panel include:
David Hanson of Davidson County, Middle Tennessee Representative
Alan Levine of Washington County, East Tennessee Representative
Terence Patterson of Shelby County, West Tennessee Representative
Mary Pierce of Davidson County, Middle Tennessee Representative
Christine Richards of Shelby County, West Tennessee Representative
Derwin Sisnett of Shelby County, West Tennessee Representative
Eddie Smith of Knox County, East Tennessee Representative
Wendy Tucker of Williamson County, Middle Tennessee Representative
Those wanting to start a charter school and are turned down by their local school board can appeal to the new commission.
As part of the plan, responsibility for reviewing charter school applications will be shifting to the commission from the state Board of Education.
Charter schools were authorized in Tennessee in 2002, and the state now has 112 serving some 38,000 students.