The deadline has passed for prospective Tennessee charter schools to submit their applications to districts. One controversial charter group with ties to the conservative Hillsdale College is looking to make a comeback.

Last year, American Classical Education sought to open three locations. Now, it has re-applied to operate schools in Rutherford, Montgomery and Madison counties. And it submitted fresh applications in Maury and Robertson counties. The charter proposals have drawn opposition from some public education advocates, who disagree with using public money to fund privately operated schools. Others take issue with the group’s links to Hillsdale College.

The Michigan-based college developed a social studies curriculum that critics say whitewashes history.

And last year, the school’s president, Larry Arnn, was filmed disparaging teachers at an event with Gov. Bill Lee, which drew backlash from both sides of the political aisle.

In an emailed statement, American Classical Education board member Dolores Gresham said hundreds of families have written letters of support for the prospective charter schools.

“We remain committed to parents, students and teachers who desire a high-quality classical public charter school option in their county,” Gresham wrote. 

If approved, the charter schools could open as soon as the fall of 2024.  

Now school boards in each district will evaluate the charter group’s plans based on a state rubric. If they deny the applications, charter groups have a chance to amend their plans. If they get rejected a second time, charters can appeal to the Tennessee Public Charter School Commission, which has the power to overturn the local school board’s decisions.

That’s what American Classical Education did last year. But the charter group withdrew their appeals before the body came to a decision.

New charter schools applying in MNPS

Four new charter schools also applied to open in Metro Nashville Public Schools, according to a district spokesperson. They include:

• Saber STEM Academy K-8 (Antioch)
• Invictus Nashville Charter School K-8 (Hermitage, Old Hickory)
• Pathways in Education 9-12 (Glencliff)
• Nashville Collegiate Prep High School 9-12 (Southeast Nashville)

All but one of these schools would be located in the Southeast quadrant of the county.

Saber STEM Academy applied to MNPS last year and was rejected. Similar to American Classical, its leaders appealed to the state’s charter commission but withdrew before the commission held a vote.

According to its website, Invictus Nashville Charter School would have a Montessori elementary program and rely heavily on community engagement in its design process.

Pathways in Education is part of a multi-state network of charter schools. Its website markets itself as a place for students who’ve struggled to find success in traditional high school. The group says it offers students a blend of in-person and online classes. Previous locations of the school had operated in Memphis but were placed into the state’s Achievement School District, and according to the Memphis Commercial Appeal closed last year.

Nashville Collegiate Prep already operates a school in Metro. It offers grades K-6 right now, and plans to add more middle school grades as students age up. The newly proposed charter school would serve high schoolers.