City University School of Independence, a Whitehaven high school of 14 students, has avoided closure and received the green light to continue its “school within a school” model for another 10 years. 

In a split vote, Memphis-Shelby County Schools board members rejected the district’s recommendation to close the school during a meeting on Jan. 28, the first for interim Superintendent Roderick Richmond.

Renewing the school leaves the district’s portfolio of 55 charter schools — representing about one-quarter of school buildings — intact for the 2025-26 year. Three other charter schools up for renewal received approval from the board earlier in January, in line with the district staff’s recommendations.

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The MSCS board vote on City Independence was part of an annual renewal process, where district staff review a charter school’s academic, financial and operational performance over its previous 10-year contract agreement and determine whether the independent operator should continue for another term. 

Richmond, whose previous role as transformation officer oversaw the district’s charter school office, recused himself from Tuesday’s discussion and presentation, explaining his participation “may give the appearance of a conflict of interest.” 

City University Schools staff told The Daily Memphian that Richmond’s wife, Tamika Carwell Richmond, is an academic administrator for the charter’s network of schools. 

Arlandra Parker, MSCS’ director of charter school development, said the district’s recommendation to close and not renew the school’s charter was based on academic performance and enrollment targets. 

With 14 students, City Independence is among four MSCS charter schools with an enrollment that’s less than 50% of initial targets, Parker said. City Independence had projected to have 180 students by its third year of operations in 2018. 

In its renewed term, City Independence is aiming to triple its current enrollment to 45 students for 2025-26, and double that to a 90-student school by the end of its renewed 10-year term.

“Any scholar that feels uncomfortable in a large environment, we wanted to offer that school-within-a-school environment for them, so you can still feel the large population — which kids love in high school — but at the same time, feel your small network, your small cohort,” R. Lemoyne Robinson, founder of the City University Schools network, told The Daily Memphian. 

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Robinson argued that the low enrollment was a benefit to students who thrived in a nontraditional school model. The school essentially serves one grade level each school year, allowing the entire enrollment to be one high school cohort, he said. 

This year, the students are in 10th grade.

The City University network of schools all operate on the same campus in Whitehaven at the former Bishop Byrne school building. Robinson said Tamika Carwell Richmond became the campus president for all City University schools in July. He supported Superintendent Roderick Richmond’s recusal from the discussion in comments to The Daily Memphian. 

Based on a school visit, MSCS staff wrote in its report that there was little to distinguish City Independence academic programming from the other campus high school, City University Liberal Arts, until dual-enrollment opportunities with The University Tennessee at Martin began in 12th grade. 

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MSCS staff argued in its report that, despite the small enrollment, City Independence was on sound financial footing, but expressed skepticism about the feasibility of meeting the new “ambitious” enrollment targets. 

In his rebuttal, Robinson criticized the district’s academic review, arguing it was using pandemic-era test scores that the state had said shouldn’t be used against a school. 

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The final vote to renew the charter was supported by Chair Joyce Dorse Coleman, Vice Chair Stephanie Love, and board members Towanna Murphy, Natalie McKinney, Sable Otey and Keith Williams. 

McKinney said she appreciated the school’s small cohort model. “The whole impetus behind charters is around innovation,” she said. 

Amber Huett-Garcia and Tamarques Porter opposed the renewal. Both said they based their vote on enrollment concerns and whether City Independence was offering an experience students couldn’t get at a traditional MSCS school. 

The renewal took place in a two-part vote. Otey initially voted against the renewal, but told The Daily Memphian she changed her vote to show support to the operator once the rejection motion failed. 

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Michelle McKissack, who has been chairing a new committee dedicated to improving the district’s charter-school policy, was not present and attending a Tennessee School Boards Association event, Dorse Coleman said. 

Tuesday’s hearing, a process afforded to charter operators recommended for closure, was postponed from Jan. 10, when snow shuttered many businesses across the Memphis metro area.