School Board Work Session

A proposed all-girls charter school received high praise Tuesday night as Hamilton County Schools officials and board members called the school’s application “the best product we’ve seen.”

Central office officials gave each of the four sections of the application — mission, education plan, founding group and business/operations — a score of more than 90 percent, and they recommended the school board approve at Thursday’s meeting the opening of Chattanooga Girls’ Leadership Academy in fall 2009.

“In each section we expect an 80 percent score, and in all four domains they well exceeded our expectations,” said Deputy Superintendent Rick Smith, one of the central office evaluators. “It was a strong application, very well done and well thought out.”

Members of the Young Women’s Leadership Academy Foundation, the proposed school’s founding group, presented a summary of their program Tuesday to members of the Hamilton County Board of Education. The all-girls school would focus on math, science and technology, foundation members said, and each student would receive a laptop computer.

“That focus is purposeful, that’s intentional. There are far too many girls who do not have these skills,” said Maxine Bailey, executive director of the foundation.

The program would operate on a year-round schedule similar to Hardy Elementary and hold about 190 days of school instead of the standard 180, foundation officials said. Classes would be held from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., giving students one extra hour than the typical school schedule, officials said.

While members of the foundation’s planning team have looked at housing the academy in the old Franklin Middle School building, they said the James A. Henry building on Grove Street might be a better fit. Surrounded by College Hill Courts, the building is in a central location, they said, and could handle an eventual two-floor expansion to meet the needs of the school.

Like other charter schools in Tennessee, the girls’ academy would serve students who attend schools failing to meet state standards or students who themselves have failed to score proficient on the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program tests.

Janet Radden said several of her five daughters were having trouble on their standardized test scores when they attended Barger Academy, so she moved to Signal Mountain so they could attend Nolan Elementary. Such a charter school would provide an opportunity for her daughters to build their self-esteem and leadership skills while receiving the individualized attention to help them succeed academically, she said.

“I like the focus of dealing with the whole girl,” she said.

After several rejections from the school board, another proposed charter school, Ivy Academy, expects a vote Friday on its latest appeal with the Tennessee Board of Education. The environmentally themed charter school also hopes to open in fall 2009.