Nearly 100 students leave charter school, return to Rutherford County school system
RUTHERFORD COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) — At the start of the 2024-2025 school year, nearly 100 students have returned to Rutherford County Schools (RCS) after trying out the county’s new charter school: Rutherford Collegiate Prep Academy.
On Monday, parents didn’t mince words when presenting their concerns during a public input meeting with the Tennessee Public Charter School Commission. The charter school was initially voted down by the Rutherford County School Board, but was approved by the commission.
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“The opening of RCP [Rutherford Collegiate Prep] has been a disaster,” said Lea Maitlen, parent of a recent RCS graduate. “On the very first day, multiple children were lost by the school for hours as parents became increasingly frantic. One parent referred to the day as ‘apocalyptic.’”
A spokesperson for RCS estimated that 96 students returned to the district from Rutherford Collegiate Prep.
One elementary school teacher said that her class size had skyrocketed after parents brought their children back to RCS. The teacher also had concerns over funding.
“My question is: what happens to the funding after the kids come back from the charter schools two weeks later?” Brown’s Chapel Elementary School teacher Kelly Bohn said. “Do they retain the funding or are we fronting the cost?”
Monday’s meeting sought public input after the people behind another proposed charter school, Novus SMART Academy, appealed to the state because RCS denied their application to open.
Some at the meeting expressed support for the new charter school.
“The wide range of experience, expertise, and backgrounds of the founding board make it especially equipped to create a school that will instill values into every aspect of their work,” parent and former teacher of the year, Mariah Phillips, said.
Members of the Statewide Organizing for Community eMpowerment, or SOCM, said that elementary charter schools aren’t helping the county’s need for middle and high schools. They added that taxpayers shouldn’t be on the hook for charter schools.
“What we’re asking for is some kind of balance in the funding,” SOCM chairperson Candida Lane said. “There’s a big discrepancy in this and nobody should ever sign up for something like this.”
A spokesperson said that Rutherford County Prep Academy experienced “a normal turnover and expected turnover of students, as all schools do.” and that many issues from the first few days have been ironed out.
“Rutherford Collegiate Prep provides a personalized, engaged, supported and challenging educational choice that strengthens students academically, socially, and emotionally,” Rutherford Collegiate Prep Academy spokesperson, Colleen Reynolds, said. “While our first couple of days saw some bumps in the road, our team has worked out the issues and things have gone quite well with students and parents expressing that they are very happy.”
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RCS School Board member Caleb Tidwell shared the following statement with News 2:
“My only comment is that RCP is not an RCS approved charter. It was approved at the state charter commission. RCSB does not have jurisdiction over RCP. Since we do not have any authority, no further comment is necessary other than I’m hopeful RCP is able to reasonably remedy any issues raised.”
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