A statement from the Nashville Charter Collaborative, regarding the motion from the Metro Nashville School Board to close Knowledge Academies.
“The leaders at New Vision Academy and Knowledge Academies, the two charter schools recently embroiled in scandals and alleged mismanagement, were not members of the Nashville Charter Collaborative. As a group of school leaders committed to ensuring every child in Nashville has access to a high-quality public education, our primary concern today is for the students and families at Knowledge Academies.
The alleged mismanagement at Knowledge Academies is unacceptable for any public school, and while their board has taken corrective action, we share the concern expressed by others about ties between the leadership of Noble Education Initiative and for-profit charter management organizations — which are not allowed in Tennessee, and for good reason. Board oversight and accountability, for both district and charter schools, are critically important in ensuring that public school leadership is academically, fiscally, and operationally effective. We believe all types of public schools should be held to high standards of accountability. Moving forward, we will do everything in our power as a Collaborative to support the students and families of Knowledge Academies.”
