School board approves budget, Chattanooga Prep charter application

UPDATE: The Hamilton County Board of Education voted tonight to approve a budget for this upcoming fiscal year and a charter application for Chattanooga Preparatory School.

Last week the school board did not approve Hamilton County Schools Interim Superintendent Kirk Kelly's budget, which asked for $33.5 million in additional revenue.

The board agreed that the district needs more money, but six board members decided to take a different strategy than just requesting the additional funds in the budget, as has been tried unsuccessfully for years.

The board instead asked Kelly to provide it with a balanced budget along with a prioritized list of additional needs.

During that meeting, school board member Joe Smith said this approach shows that the board is responsible and respects the commission by providing a balanced budget, but also expresses the district's needs and how additional revenue would be spent to boost student outcomes.

The board is also expected to vote on Chattanooga Prep's application tonight.

The application was submitted to Hamilton County Schools on February 14, and state law gives the district 90 days to approve the charter. If the charter is not voted on within this timeframe it's automatically approved.

Ted and Kelly Alling are founding Chattanooga Prep, which aims to provide low-income boys with the support needed to counteract the crippling effect poverty can have on education.

Chattanooga Prep will partner with Chattanooga Girls Leadership Academy and be located next to the school in Highland Park.

Elaine Swafford, executive director of CGLA, is an advisor to Chattanooga Prep. CGLA has posted large academic gains in the past couple of years and is helping girls who arrive at the school grade levels behind start to catch up to their peers. Because of the school's success, the state is studying CGLA as a model for its work turning around low- performing schools.

Chattanooga Prep plans to open with 60 sixth-graders in 2018, adding a grade each year. The boys will be given high academic expectations and the support they need to reach them, organizers said. The school's curriculum will be based on STEM - science, technology, engineering and math - and focused on leadership. Mentorship of the boys is also foundational to the school's mission, the Allings said.

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