While applications for public charter school proposals can take months to complete, a decision to close the door on one of them took mere minutes on Thursday night.
The Empowerment Academy, a charter school focused on agriculture and STEM, was rejected by the Hamilton County School Board after a brief presentation and no further discussion. The school is one of three public charter schools proposed this year by an organization of the same name, with two others based on similar models planned for Memphis and Nashville.
Empowerment Academy’s Proposal
The school is proposed to operate out of the Warren Chapel AME Church on North Market Street in Chattanooga and would have served boys in kindergarten through fifth grade, with an estimated opening in the 2027-2028 school year. The school would serve 50 students immediately upon its inception, with no intention of increasing enrollment in the future.
The charter’s application highlights personalized instruction in small classrooms with a low student-to-teacher ratio and a focus on helping minority males recognize viable career paths in education…