Premium

What the state says went wrong at Memphis Scholars’ charter schools

By , Daily Memphian Updated: June 28, 2024 6:36 AM CT | Published: June 28, 2024 4:00 AM CT

Student enrollment at three Memphis charter schools became too low to generate enough funds to sustain operations, according to findings from Tennessee’s Achievement School District.

But the Memphis Scholars network was also failing to meet other financial, governance and academic requirements, the state-run district found. That included neglecting to provide special-education services to students at two of its schools for three months this year, a violation of state and federal law.

The spate of findings amounted to “serious noncompliance and material violations of the charter agreement” that could lead to revocation, an ASD official wrote in a June 14 notice to the charter operator.

Topics

Achievement School District Tennessee Department of Education Memphis-Shelby County Schools Charter schools Subscriber Only

Thank you for supporting local journalism.

Subscribers to The Daily Memphian help fund our not-for-profit newsroom of nearly 40 local journalists plus more than 20 freelancers, all of whom work around the clock to cover the issues impacting our community. Subscriptions - and donations - also help fund our community access programs which provide free access to K-12 schools, community organizations, and more. Thank you for making our work possible.

Laura Testino

Laura Testino

Laura Testino is an enterprise reporter who writes about how public policy shapes Memphis. She is currently reporting from Frayser about education and housing. Please write her with your suggestions and story tips.


Comments

Want to comment on our stories or respond to others? Join the conversation by subscribing now. Only paid subscribers can add their thoughts or upvote/downvote comments. Our commenting policy can be viewed here