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TDOE Charter School Expansion Grants Awarded To 15 Applicants
Awards Will Fund 8,800 New Charter School Seats For Tennessee Students Friday, May 7, 2021
The Tennessee Department of Education on Friday announced that 15 applicants have been awarded subgrants under the Charter School Expansion Grant, including two in Hamilton County. These funds are intended to support sponsors throughout the planning, design, application, and potential launch of new charter schools in the state.
These subgrants will fund up to 8,800 new charter school seats that, subject to authorizer approval, will be available to students in five districts that currently do not have any charter schools and in three districts that already authorize charter schools.
A Nashville charter school company has expressed interest in expanding into Rutherford County.
ReThink Forward, a 501 (c)(3), has started the process of seeking to open a school in the Smyrna-La Vergne area, Dr. James Sullivan, Rutherford County Schools assistant superintendent, said during an RCS School Board meeting.
The company filed a letter of intent with the Tennessee Department of Education. The document calls the proposed school Rutherford Collegiate Prep and lists an estimated 2022 opening date. That would make it Rutherfordâs first charter school if approved.
Charter schools must follow a detailed process set by the state, including informing a local superintendent of its intent two months before April 1, Sullivan told the board. A local district may deny the charter, but a state board may overrule the decision, he said.