The proposed passage of SB1310/HB1332 would represent a dangerous extension of power that would further strip away decision-making from our democratically elected school boards. This would bill expand the reach of the Tennessee Public Charter School Commission, letting charter school operators bypass local school boards and apply directly to the commission to open new schools or replicate existing ones. As currently written, this proposed legislation would:
1. Strip power from local democratically elected school boards – Instead of requiring all new charter schools to apply through the local education agency (LEA), this bill lets some charter operators go straight to the state commission, cutting our local voices out of the process.
2. Allows unchecked charter school expansion – If a school district has had three charter denials overturned by the state in three years, any new charter applicant in that district can apply directly to the commission for the next five years—completely bypassing local oversight.
3. Diverts key oversight away from the Department of Education – This bill moves key responsibilities, like application tracking and performance monitoring, from the Department of Education to the state charter commission and the State Board of Education, consolidating power in fewer hands.
4. Changes how long charter renewals last – Right now, charters get a 10-year renewal. This bill changes to anywhere between 5 and 10 years, at the commission’s discretion.
5. Expands special enrollment privileges – Charter schools run by public colleges or universities could now set aside up to 25 percent of their seats for faculty children, raising concerns about equity and public access.
This pending bill would be extreme government overreach. Initially, we opposed the creation of the Charter School Commission because of our belief that it would take away decision-making authority from democratically elected school boards and LEAs. We opposed the subsequent voucher bills for the same reason. Now, SB1310/ HB1322 takes this even further, allowing state bureaucrats to force charter schools into communities without local approval, and even more egregiously, oversight.
And we do not have to guess how this will play out. The malfeasance at Chattanooga Prep, including the lack of accountability and the failure to serve students as promised, is just a recent illustration of why passage of this bill would be a grave mistake. In essence, this bill would only make it easier for more charter operators to set up shops without answering to the communities they affect. The lack of accountability measures in charter school legislation, such as at Chattanooga Prep, has created a “zone of twilight” where no one knows where the buck stops.
Our public schools belong to the people, not to unelected officials in Nashville pushing an agenda. If lawmakers genuinely care about our students, they’ll put a stop to this now. Public schools work toward the common good and stand for the good of the whole. That is what best helps to advance our society forward.
Just as we said prior to the passage of the Education Freedom Act a few short weeks ago, this legislation would be ineffective, inefficient, and inequitable—it will be unreliable, unsustainable, and unjust. And for the sake of our schools and students, we emphatically reject it and stand adamantly opposed.
Eric Atkins
Unity Group of Chattanooga