Jackson-Madison County School Board Rejects County’s First Public Charter School

Dr. Jean Little (center front) standing with supporters of the Jackson Museum School last April (Photo by the Jackson Museum School)

Dr. Jean Little went into this week with high hopes that her proposed Jackson Museum School would be approved to be Madison County’s first public charter school.

Little has spent twenty years as an educator, including time at Jackson-Madison County School System and West Tennessee’s Obion County Central High School, frequently serving students who needed the most help. She used that experience to create a proposal for the Jackson Museum School that she felt would be ideal for students who need something different.

It would utilize a “museum model” similar to schools in Atlanta and Chattanooga, which infuses subjects like science and math into weekly expeditions to local cultural centers.

Thursday night, the Jackson-Madison County School Board voted 8-2 against it.

"Obviously, we are disappointed in their vote, but we do still remain committed to our overall goal of bringing an innovative school choice like Jackson Museum School to West Tennessee, specifically to the families of Jackson, Tennessee," said Little in a statement to the Tennessee Firefly. "I think all concerns are valid, and we're always open to the discussion about what's best for students. I do think that based on my experience, and even the comments that I made tonight, that I do have the experience to work with students, to lead a school, to turn around achievement scores, and I have worked with the most underserved populations in the 20 years that I've been a teacher."

A district review team found Little’s initial proposal met state standards last spring, but the school board denied it then, to provide her with time to improve the plan.

Jackson Museum School Concerns and Support

In voting down the amended application Thursday, board members cited concerns about the proposed school’s reliance on place-based education, which involves learning centered around the local community. The board also cited concerns about the Jackson Museum School’s ability to provide specialized services for unique learning needs.

Board Member Andrea Michelle Givens-Moore additionally questioned Dr. Little’s experience in the community, ignoring her time in the Jackson-Madison County School System, where she spent two years as a humanities and literacy coordinator.

“The possibility of a charter school coming into our community is really a disservice to us because we don’t know you. Taking a chance on our children is something that I’m not welcoming at all for my community,” said Givens-Moore.

Board members Debbie Gaugh and Glen Gaugh were the lone votes in favor of the Jackson Museum School.

“With more charter applications promised in the future, I have no doubt there will be an application at some point that I just can not vote to accept,” said Gaugh. “This is one that I’m willing to take a chance on.”

Tennessee Commission Appeal Forthcoming

Under state law, Dr. Little will have the option of appealing the decision to the Tennessee State Charter School Commission, and she told the Tennessee Firefly that she does plan to do so.

The commission overturned the district’s last charter school denial in 2023, and that school was set to open next year. Operators of the planned Madison Classical Academy opted to voluntarily withdraw their charter last month.

The state commission will hear Dr. Little’s forthcoming appeal in the fall.  If approved, the Jackson Museum School would open in 2026 for kindergarten through second-grade students, and add a grade in each of the next four years.

Charter schools are free public schools operated by a non-profit organization under a “charter” with the state or a school board.