Tennessee weighs worth of Hillsdale charter schools

Jacksonville Classical Academy opened in 2020 with about 450 students in grades K-6. The Jacksonville, Fla., school adds a grade each year. It started its school year last week with nearly 950 students in grades K-8.

Head of School David Withun said the school is located in a traditionally African American neighborhood near downtown, and that half of the student body qualifies for free or reduced lunches. Jacksonville Classical is a Hillsdale member school, which means Hillsdale College provides training and feedback for the school’s teachers and does not charge any fees.

Hillsdale, a conservative Christian college in Hillsdale, Mich., lists 23 schools as member schools, including seven in Florida.

Charter schools, like other public schools, are funded with public money but administered by charter authorizers such as nonprofits, for-profit managers, or colleges and universities. Classical schools use learning methods first utilized by ancient Greek philosophers and focus on higher-order thinking skills and content knowledge.

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee, a Republican, publicly praised Hillsdale College’s focus on civics education in his 2022 State of the State address. Lee added that his office and Hillsdale were “formalizing a partnership” surrounding K-12 education.

But after Hillsdale College President Larry Arnn made comments some say betray a lack of respect for teachers, observers doubt that Hillsdale-affiliated schools will ever open in the Volunteer State.

Reports circulated earlier this year that Hillsdale planned a mass opening of charter schools in Tennessee, with Arnn telling supporters that Lee had asked for 100 and Arnn had committed to 50.

American Classical Education, a charter management organization headed by a Hillsdale alum, submitted letters of intent in February 2021 to open schools in the Tennessee counties of Rutherford, Montgomery, and Madison in the fall of 2023.

Those plans came under question after a Nashville news station aired video footage in late June of Arnn and Lee at a private reception. “Teachers are trained in the dumbest parts of the dumbest colleges in the country,” the video showed Arnn saying as Lee listened.

Arnn defended his comments in mid-July in a USA Today op-ed, emphasizing that his criticism was aimed not at teachers but at how teachers are trained. “Many undergraduate education programs emphasize areas unrelated to the content covered in K-12 classrooms (such as administrative practices, classroom technology, counseling, and diversity, equity, and inclusion),” he wrote. “As well-intentioned as they may be, these programs often steer educators away from the subject matter and toward a political agenda …. To be a teacher is one of the noblest things. Good teachers have developed skills few of us can match and all of us can applaud.”

Lee did not publicly disagree with Arnn’s comments but did downplay his relationship with the college president. A Tennessee charter school opening an affiliated campus for younger students this school year canceled plans to utilize the Hillsdale curriculum, citing concerns that it would require the school to focus on “defending ourselves from attempts to mischaracterize our efforts” instead of educating students. Requests for comment from the governor’s office last week were not returned.

After reports of Arnn’s comments broke, the local school boards tasked with reviewing applications for the three prospective American Classical Education schools rejected their proposals.

Tennessee Republican Rep. Mark White, a charter supporter who sponsored state legislation to launch the Tennessee Public Charter School Commission, responded to a Facebook comment asking specifically about Hillsdale: “When the General Assembly convenes again next January any hope that Hillsdale will operate in Tennessee has been shattered. I will continue to work to find solutions to improve Tennessee’s public education system and protect our students, but Hillsdale, by Dr. Arnn’s comments, will not be a part of that solution.”

In a statement, Hillsdale spokeswoman Emily Stack Davis said neither the college nor the governor planned to expand charter schools in Tennessee “without parent and community demand.” She confirmed that the college is “partnering” in the launch of the three schools managed by American Classical Education. “It’s crucial to note that Hillsdale College doesn’t create the demand for additional educational opportunities,” she continued. “It can only offer its assistance, guidance, and mentorship in places where demand already exists.”

American Classical Education appealed the local school boards’ decisions to the Tennessee Public Charter School Commission. The commission reviewed three charter school appeals last year, approving two. According to the commission’s director of external affairs, Chase Ingle, the commission will hear 12 schools’ appeals this year.

Former state representative Eddie Smith is one of nine members appointed by the governor to the commission after the state legislature approved the its creation in 2019. Smith said that the schools’ applications will be put through a de novo review (without reference to prior comments or decisions) with public hearings, questioning of applicants and local school boards, and opportunities for public comment. Independent reviewers will present findings to the commission’s executive director who then will make a recommendation to the commission, which will then decide if the local school boards’ decisions will be upheld or overturned. “As far as Mr. Arnn’s comments … our job on the commission is to lay aside all of that and to review the application before us, and that’s what we’re going to do,” he said.

Dolores Gresham, board chair for American Classical Education in Tennessee, said that Rutherford, Madison, and Montgomery counties were chosen in part due to parent interest in the classical school model. Gresham hopes the commission allows all three schools to open as planned, but said that after Arnn’s comments and the public response, “that may or may not be possible.” She added that she trusts the commission will follow the appropriate process: “That’s all I hope for. That’s all I can ask of them.”

If the commission rejects all three schools, will American Classical Education in Tennessee seek to open charter schools elsewhere in the state? Gresham paused before answering. “I sure hope so,” she said.

In Florida, Withun said that overall, the community welcomed Jacksonville Classical. He said he had heard about Arnn’s comments and didn’t want to speak for him but added that the school has also not received any questions about it. Withun said that when he hires teachers, he looks for applicants who know their subject matter well. “I’m looking for teachers who can stand in front of a class and give a quality lecture on the Middle Ages in fourth grade or guide them through the Declaration of Independence in seventh grade,” he said. “And generally speaking, people who have been to educator preparation programs are not coming with the skills and the knowledge that facilitate that kind of high-level learning.”

Withun added that in his conversations with Hillsdale College and its charter school program, the college’s commitment to high-quality education has always been evident. “The concern has always been providing every child an opportunity to get a great education,” he said. “I hope that people see that that is the mission.”