The CEO of United Way of West Tennessee’s public statement opposing American Classical Academy Madison’s appeal of the Jackson-Madison County Public School System’s denial of the school’s public charter has drawn heavy criticism from the school’s supporters.
“Matt Marshall, the president and CEO of United Way of West Tennessee, [spoke] in opposition to ACA during the public comment portion of the American Classical Academy Madison County Charter School Appeal Public Hearing on Thursday, September 15, 2022, in Jackson, Tenn.,” The Jackson Sun reported.
Marshall first introduced himself to the hearing held by the Tennessee Public Charter School Commission [TPCSC] as CEO of United Way of West Tennessee, spoke of the group’s commitment to education, and then went on to add that he was speaking as a parent of three children enrolled in Jackson-Madison County Public Schools.
“Marshall came to support the school district, and says he sees the progress of the district and stands by them,” WBBJ-TV.com reported.
“[W]e support our system. It is not perfect by any means, but we are making some really big positive advancements under Dr. King’s leadership and under this administration. Making some advances we have not seen in a long time. I really would hate to see that undercut,” Marshall said.
Marshall did not offer an explanation for how approving the American Classical Academy Madison [ACA Madison] charter application would hurt the Jackson-Madison County School System.
Dr. Marlon King, superintendent of the Jackson-Madison County School System, serves on the board of the United Way of West Tennessee, according to the organization’s website. The school district’s website calls Dr. King “a transformational leader in the state of Tennessee.”
In addition, The Sun reported that another United Way of West Tennessee staff member, Director of Early Education Initiatives Olivia Abernathy, who also serves as a Madison County Commissioner, also spoke “in opposition to ACA during the public comment portion of the American Classical Academy Madison County Charter School Appeal Public Hearing on Thursday, September 15, 2022, in Jackson, Tenn.”
Supporters of ACA Madison criticized what they said was a “coordinated attack … [by] United Way of West Tennessee.”
“As a community member – it’s so disappointing to see a coordinated attack against American Classical Education by United Way of West Tennessee. This classical charter school is such a wonderful opportunity for public school choice for our community’s teachers and kids,” Londa Rohlfing, a resident of Jackson and a supporter of American Classical Madison’s public charter school application, said after the meeting.
American Classical Education, the parent organization of ACA Madison, is affiliated with Hillsdale College.
“And yet, an organization that claims to ‘advocate for equity through uniting agencies in ways that improve each person’s access to health, education, and financial stability’ is seeking to deny the very kids it claims to serve the opportunity [for] a more equitable educational opportunity and outcome. I’m hopeful that West Tennessee United Way will clarify their position on charter schools after comments today by two of its top staffers who identified their positions with United Way of West Tennessee,” she continued.
“How can an organization that professes to care about education support denying kids in our community access to additional high-quality public school options? Their politicization of school choice for families and kids who need it most is disappointing to say the least,” Rohlfing added.
The Star asked United Way CEO Marshall if it was appropriate for him to comment on the merits of the ACA Madison charter application in Thursday’s commission hearing in Jackson, “given the nonpartisan nature of the United Way of Tennessee.”
“I have three children currently in the school system (two in middle school, and one in elementary school). So, I have been asked to comment as a parent, not necessarily in my capacity as President of United Way of West Tennessee,” United Way of West Tennessee CEO Marshall told The Star via email in advance of Thursday’s hearing.
“That being said, United Way is very actively involved in several education initiatives aimed at helping all students in districts across West TN. One of our staff members will also be commenting, but they currently serve as a county commissioner, so again they are not commenting as part of their role as a United Way employee,” he added.
“I support school choice and I am not opposed to charter schools in principle, but I do believe that local autonomy and self-government are important, as is the spirit of collaboration,” Marshall concluded in his emailed statement to The Star.
WBBJ-TV.com reported on the reasons set forth by the Jackson-Madison County School System for its opposition to approval of the ACA Madison charter application.
“No compelling evidence for waiver request that would align to student achievement, no local Madison County representation on the Charter Board and lacking a contingency plan to meet financial needs in the early years,” said Dr. Vivian Williams, Deputy Superintendent for the Jackson-Madison County School System.
The board also argued that the charter presented no evidence for supporting all students or how they would address learning loss.
“Are we willing to add a charter school with an academic plan that lacks key elements of public school that serves all students?” Dr. Williams asked. “Including the first population in an inclusive environment.”
In their presentation to the commission, ACA Madison spokespersons addressed those concerns, noting that they have obtained a location, have addressed curriculum concerns, and have local participation.
“They are asking for a chance, for an opportunity, for a choice. A way to have some option in this community. We are confident that we will provide a first-class public classical charter school for all families and all students in this community,” Joel Schellhammer, CEO of American Classical Education, told the commission.
The majority of the 15 members of the Jackson-Madison County community who addressed the commission supported the ACA Madison charter application.
“American Classical Academy is so pleased by the overwhelming support showed today for our application for a free public charter school in Madison County,” American Classical Education Tennessee Board Chair and former State Senator Dolores Gresham said in a statement released after the hearing on Thursday:
The eloquence of the many parents and grandparents who expressed the struggles and challenges they have faced finding the right educational options in a district that currently offers no choice, spoke to everyone in the room. Families’ voices were overwhelmingly heard today speaking in favor of a classical public charter school – including the importance of a classical curriculum. Families are seeking out this option as they believe it will best serve their kids’ educational needs. We are confident that the Commission heard what the vast majority of the citizens of Madison County want: to approve this public charter school and finally bring an equitable choice for families in the community.
Jackson-Madison County School System is one of the lowest-rated K-12 public school systems in the state of Tennessee.
As The Tennessee Star reported earlier, a 2019 report by the Tennessee Higher Education Commission concluded that students graduating from high school in the Jackson-Madison County School System were the least prepared of graduates from any K-12 public school system in the state to attend college: 66 percent required remedial math and 44 percent required remedial reading. (Enter Madison County in the search engine in the article to see these results.)
Dr. Marlon King was named superintendent of the Jackson-Madison County School System in 2020. In July 2021, WBBJ-TV.com reported on the results of his first full year in the job:
King says after the pandemic caused a decline in reading scores for students. They then decided to bring students back in person and the numbers started to increase.
“The improvement that we made, from 19 to 23%, which we did better this year than we did before the pandemic. That is bringing kids back to school,” King said.
He says moving forward into the future for JMCSS, they want to make sure that a student’s family is a part of their education as well.
“We work with our families to engage them more around what support systems and things you can do to support your child. What we want to do is continue to make progress,” King said.
In a statement released in August, Jackson-Madison County School System pointed to a recent report released by the Tennessee Department of Education as evidence of improvement in the school system:
Jackson-Madison County public school students made unprecedented improvements in math and English language arts (ELA) according to new TNReady data released by the Tennessee Department of Education. Additionally, JMCSS is outpacing the state average for growth in math for grades 3-8.
“These scores are a testament to the effort our teachers and students have been putting into their work and school. Our teachers are meeting students where they are and moving them forward,” Chief Accountability & Assessment Officer Catherine Korth said.
The Tennessee Value-Added Assessment System (TVAAS) measures student growth year over year. Schools that earn a schoolwide composite score of 4 or 5 are making more growth than expected. These numbers signal that more than a year’s worth of growth was made during the past school year.
“A level five designation is extraordinary for any school. However, having more than a dozen schools show gains in foundational subjects like math and ELA is extremely rare. It’s simply unheard of for Jackson-Madison County. Our teachers and families deserve to pause and celebrate this achievement,” said Deputy Superintendent of Academics Dr. Vivian Williams. . .
“Our schools are on the right path. These results are clear evidence. We’re not just recovering from the learning loss over the last several years. Our teachers are helping students reach their full potential. This is a huge momentum shift for JMCSS,” Superintendent Dr. Marlon King said.
The 2021-2022 TNReady proficiency scores for K-12 public school students by school district, released in July of this year by the Tennessee Department of Education, showed the following results for all students who met or exceeded grade proficiency standards in the Jackson-Madison County School System between 2017 and 2022.
Math (page 709)
| Year | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Met or Exceeded (Cumulative) | 15% | 17% | 20% | 9% | 16% |
Reading (English Language Arts) (page 705)
| Year | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Met or Exceeded (Cumulative) | 22% | 21% | 20% | 17% | 23% |
Science – high school students only (page 713)
| Year | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Met or Exceeded (Cumulative) | 41% | 38% | n/a* | 24% | 25% |
* There were no operational science tests administered in 2019 and assessment standards were rest in 2021
Social Studies – high school students only (page 714)
| Year | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Met or Exceeded (Cumulative) | 17% | 18% | 15% | 15% | 19% |
These results remain significantly below the statewide TNReady results for all Tennessee K-12 public school students who met or exceeded grade level proficiency standards between 2017 and 2022, as reported by the Tennessee Department of Education:
Math (page 9)
| Year | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Met or Exceeded (Cumulative) | 33% | 33% | 37% | 25% | 30% |
Reading (English Language Arts) (page 7)
| Year | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Met or Exceeded (Cumulative) | 34% | 33% | 35% | 29% | 36% |
Science – high school students only (page 12)
| Year | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Met or Exceeded (Cumulative) | 59% | 50% | n/a* | 41% | 41% |
* There were no operational science tests administered in 2019 and assessment standards were rest in 2021
Social Studies – high school students only (page 14)
| Year | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Met or Exceeded (Cumulative) | 30% | 28% | 29% | 33% | 38% |
The TPCSC held hearings on appeals from three American Classical Education charter schools denied charter applications by local school boards last week – the ACA Rutherford hearing was held in Murfreesboro on Wednesday, the ACA Madison hearing was held in Jackson on Thursday, and the ACA Montgomery hearing was held in Clarksville on Friday.
The commission is currently scheduled to announce its decision on all three appeals on October 5.
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[Editor’s Note: American Classical Education is an advertiser in The Tennessee Star.]
Michael Patrick Leahy is the CEO and Editor-in-chief of The Star News Network and The Tennessee Star.
Photo “Matt Marshall” by Matthew Marshall. Background Photo “Classroom” by Wokandapix.
