After months of intense debate, Tuesday the Metro School board is expected to approve a charter school application from Great Hearts Academies. The vote is a formality since the state board of education trumped Metro’s first decision.
In June, the school board voted 7-to-2 to deny the Great Hearts application, saying the school would open the flood gates for charters catering to middle-class families. Until recently, state law restricted charter attendance to disadvantaged students or those zoned for failing schools.
After Great Hearts appealed, the state board of education said the district had no good reason to vote down the charter and instructed Metro to reverse course.
It is the final meeting for four of the nine board members. Two of them failed to win reelection. Both were vocal critics of the Great Hearts application.
Also Tuesday night, the Metro school board votes on next year’s calendar. The proposal is much like this year, again starting the fall semester at the first of August.
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