The Rutherford County School Board voted on Tuesday to approve American Classical Education’s (ACE) application to build a charter school. The vote was 5-2.
The school will open in 2024.
"We're pleased that the Rutherford County School Board supported local students and families and approved the application of a high-quality classical charter school."@WKRN #TNLeg23 pic.twitter.com/4YUD9c28aP
— Chris O’Brien (@THEChrisOB) April 25, 2023
“We’re pleased that the Rutherford County School Board supported local students and families and approved the application of a high-quality classical charter school. Our school will open in Fall 2024 and will provide a tuition-free public school choice for local parents, students and teachers,” American Classical Education Board Member Dolores Gresham said in a statement.
“This is a victory for more than 7,000 families who have said they want a classical curriculum option in Tennessee,” Gresham added.
ACE charter schools use “classical methods rooted in Western and American heritage” in its classrooms, according to the school’s website.
Last year, ACE’s application was denied by the Rutherford County school system. ACE then submitted an appeal to the Tennessee Public Charter School Commission, which was later withdrawn, as previously reported by The Tennessee Star.
ACE is affiliated with Hillsdale College, a Michigan-based private school championed by Governor Bill Lee for its “1776 Curriculum” which “teaches students about the strengths of America and the Western tradition.”
On its website, ACE describes its charter schools as “places where students receive a well-rounded education in the liberal arts and sciences. All students study literature and mathematics, history and the sciences, fine arts, Latin, and physical education. They believe that the successful development of literacy and numeracy and a solid foundation in the core subjects is necessary before advanced or specialized training and study.”
ACE administrator Phil Schwenk recently told The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy that the counties where ACE applications are approved would not be responsible for any funding for the charter schools. Instead, according to Schwenk, the charter schools would be funded by “several private donors.”
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network.
