CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Controversy over Hillsdale charter schools continues. Parents and leaders in Montgomery County are set to fight back against the push to open the taxpayer-funded school in their district on Friday.
The public has a chance to weigh in on this debate through a hearing at 9 a.m., but ahead of that meeting, a group against Hillsdale charter schools is rallying together to have their voices heard.
They're meeting at the Clarksville-Montgomery School headquarters at 8:15 a.m.
They said the local school board gave a resounding vote against Hillsdale College’s charter application, but the Governor’s charter board is seeking to overrule their vote and force the county to drain funding away from the already struggling school system into a private business.
Instead of opening the new school, the opposing group wants to see public schools fully funded to hire more support staff, increase pay and provide more resources for increased social and emotional learning.
The effort to open the schools across the state is coming from the Michigan college whose president was caught on camera by NewsChannel 5 Investigates saying public school teachers, "come from the dumbest parts of the dumbest colleges."
Advocates said the school's focus on classical education is what a lot of children need, emphasizing the basics and old-fashioned civic virtue. But opponents said it teaches right-wing ideology and does not have the results to back up their claims.
