The board and leadership at Ivy Academy’s Skillern Elementary in Soddy-Daisy said that a new K-4 charter school planned by Ivy Academy officials is not connected to Skillern in any way.
“We want to make sure that people know the truth about our association with that specific project,” Chief Operating Officer Sam Thompson in a phone interview Friday.
Ivy Academy’s J&S Ranch Campus in Ooltewah would be formed with an application modeled after Ivy Academy in Soddy-Daisy, which serves grades six through 12.
J&S Ranch “is not an extension of Skillern Elementary, nor does it represent or replicate Skillern’s mission, educational philosophy or distinctive approach,” a press release clarifying the plans said.
Thompson said Ivy and Skillern have different models, stressing that Skillern’s model has been developed independently with a lot of care since the school opened in 2022.