The Tennessee Public Charter School Commission voted unanimously Thursday to approve Rocketship Public Schools’ expansion into Rutherford County, overturning the local school board’s previous denial. The decision clears the way for the county’s fourth charter school, which will open next August and serve students in La Vergne and Smyrna.

The Rutherford County School Board voted 5-2 to support state legislation reducing Tennessee’s minimum school bus driver age from 25 to 23 in an effort to ease ongoing driver shortages.

New data compiled by the Tennessee Charter School Center and SCORE found economically disadvantaged students at Rocketship Dream Community Prep scored in the top 7 percent in the state for both math and English language arts (ELA) proficiency.

The Rutherford County School Board narrowly voted down Rocketship’s application to open a new public charter school last July, and the operator appealed that decision to the Tennessee Public Charter School Commission, hoping to overturn it.

Rocketship Executive Director Eric Dailey tells the Tennessee Firefly that his organization is only planning to appeal the narrow 4-3 decision in Rutherford County to the Tennessee Public Charter School Commission.

Board members Tammy Sharp, Katie Darby, Stan Vaught, and Vice-Chair Frances voted in support of Novus SMART, while Chair Claire Maxwell, Butch Vaughn, and Caleb Tidwell voted against it.

With Tennessee’s annual Tax-Free Weekend scheduled for July 26–28, families across the state are preparing for back-to-school purchases.

Members of the Rutherford County Schools Board of Education denied Rocketship’s application in April, but multiple members encouraged the charter operator to make revisions and resubmit for a vote tonight.

On Thursday, members of the Rutherford County Board of Education will decide whether to approve Jeremy Sager’s application to open Novus SMART Academy (K-8).

The new contract approved Thursday includes a 17 percent raise in the first year and 2.5 percent in each of the following three years.

Rutherford County Schools has identified 12 buses it can purchase from nearby dealers for roughly $2 million. Board members will consider approving that purchase on Thursday.

Under the original plan, school bus service would have been eliminated for students in grades K-5 who live within a mile of their school and students in grades 6-12 who live within a mile and a half, forcing parents to find other ways to get their students to class.

Rutherford County Schools Director Dr. Jimmy Sullivan posted a video Wednesday afternoon to let parents know he’s now hopeful the potential school bus driver strike will be limited, if it happens at all.

Leaders of Rocketship Public Schools and Novus SMART Academy (K-8) have the option of submitting an amended application for approval this summer.

The board voted Thursday to pull more than a dozen titles from library shelves, despite receiving a report that the district’s libraries aren’t meeting state standards when it comes to the number of books available.

Rutherford County is one of the fastest growing areas in the state and school officials there are weighing how to handle an influx of students while trying to maintain a community feel.

School board members voted to remove “Assassination Classroom” volumes 1 through 8 and 11by Yusei Matsui, “Catch 22” by Joseph Heller, “Perfect Chemistry” by Simone Elkeles, “Water for Elephants” by Sarah Gruen, and “Yolk” by Mary H.K. Choi from school libraries.

Members of the Rutherford County School Board took an unusual path to deny Board Member Caleb Tidwell’s resolution opposing educator diversity goals during hiring, by first approving it and then voting it down.

The Rutherford County Schools (RCS) Board of Education passed a resolution Thursday urging state leaders to “expedite the closure of the nation’s borders” as the county’s English learner population continues to grow.

The book ban debate continued to rage at Thursday’s Rutherford County Schools Board of Education meeting, when school board members ultimately voted to remove several more books from school library shelves.