The Metro Nashville school board rejected the Great Hearts Charter School application for the fourth time. And this time, the charter said it was calling it quits. For now.
One of those times when one must admit, “Four strikes and you’re out.”
The Metro Nashville school board rejected the Great Hearts Charter School application for the fourth time. And this time, the charter said it was calling it quits. For now.
One of those times when one must admit, “Four strikes and you’re out.”

Next Stop … Emergency Managerville …
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The next thing to look for is the Great Hearts charter school operators hiring their lawyer to contest this decision, thereby forcing the district to spend its money on legal defense, and forcing a judge to spend his/her time listening to the rejected charter school operators’ complaints and the arguments back and forth, and also forcing an entire courtroom staff (court reporter, bailiff) to spend hours and hours and days and days working on the mess — all at taxpayers’ expense.
Did you know that there are a bunch of lawyers who now specialize in this? Talk about trickle down!
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Sharon, their decision to withdraw their application–for now–was made after consulting with their lawyer. Based on the statement they released, it appears they’ll bide their time until TN state law allows charters to form without any local approval: “There has been some discussion of a statewide authority that could allow charters to open, even if local school boards disapprove.”
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You should know that ALEC has model legislation for each state to have a commission appointed by the governor with the power to override local board’s decisions. This proposition is on the ballot in Georgia this fall. Local boards want the power to decide whether to admit charters, and the governor is sticking with the ALEC proposition. The state superintendent bravely came out in opposition to gutting the authority of local boards.
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In TN, if–and really, simply when–such legislation is proposed, the only obstacle will be the state legislature. Somewhat surprisingly, they passed on Haslam’s proposal to increase average class size and restructure pay scales. But clearly our state education commissioner has no qualms about eradicating the authority of local boards.
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This has already happened in Michigan. The Governor found the State Board of Education and the local school districts not to his liking, so he simply “re-invented” government in his own image, with Emergency Managers and the statewide Educational Achievement Authority.
600 EAA students to take classes on Internet
The thing you have to understand is that it doesn’t really matter how many times voters and local communities say “No” to the schemes of the profiteers — they’ll never give up looking for end-runs around the will and the welfare of the people.
Never, ever …
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It’s all about the DRAMA …
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…and the money.
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