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TNFirefly · Newsletter
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No. 14
Thu · 3 Sep · 2026
Our Thursday deep dive. We take one Tennessee education or policy story and unpack it in full — how it started, who's involved, and what it means for you.
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From the Editor
Good afternoon.
We have an important update on the effort to establish the first public charter school in Dyer County. School board members voted against authorizing Trimble Academy earlier this year on the recommendation of a district appointed review team. This week, we learned that the district did not seek to add expert guidance on that team. |
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Local Education
The proposed community-supported school was voted down after a review by individuals with no charter school experience.
By Sky Arnold
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Willful Blindness? Dyer County Admits Rejecting Trimble Academy Without Seeking Expert Guidance |
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The qualifications of the review team drew scrutiny during a public hearing Monday before the Tennessee Public Charter School Commission. Trimble Academy is appealing the Dyer County Board of Education's decision to the commission.
"The review committee just started looking at other charter schools. How did they operate, what did their plan look like...So, we just tried to comb through other applications and talk to other people to see how they did it."
— Cheryl Mathis, Dyer County Director of Schools
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By the Numbers
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600
Residents live in Trimble.
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16
Waivers requested by Trimble Academy that the board cited as a concern, though many are commonly approved statewide.
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$200,000
Budgeted by Trimble Forward Alliance for building repairs to its proposed location.
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Voices
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Trimble Forward Alliance · President
"It is old-fashioned schooling, the three Rs, reading, writing, and arithmetic topped off with robust literature, history, and fine arts curriculum that teaches students how to learn, not just what to learn. "
— Margaret Prater
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Charter Commission · Executive Director
"In your reason for denial, in the conversation at the school board, there were concerns that they requested so many waivers; are they ready to operate a school? Yet many of the waivers are, I think, what we would see, are regularly common and approved waivers by charter applicants across the state."
— Tess Stovall
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Watchfront
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Oct
TBD
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Charter Commission Appeal Decision
The Tennessee Public Charter School Commission will decide Trimble Academy's appeal.
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Signoff
That's all for this week. We'll keep following the Trimble Academy story as it develops, along with the other issues shaping Tennessee communities. Thanks for reading.
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Our Thursday deep dive. We take one Tennessee education or policy story and unpack it in full — how it started, who's involved, and what it means for you.
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