The Metropolitan Nashville Board of Education recently denied several charter applications, deciding that these are not the schools Nashville students deserve. Three of these Charter Management Organizations - KIPP, Rocketship, and the International Academy of Excellence - have appealed to the appointed Tennessee State Board of Education to overturn the decision that was made by the locally elected school board.

Educators, parents, and community members elected the local school board to represent the interests of Nashville voters, and to make sound decisions for Nashville schools and students. Tell the State Board of Education to honor the local school board decision.

Locally elected school boards know best how to use our tax dollars for the benefit of local schools and students. Recently, the Metro Nashville school board adopted the  Annenberg Standards, which deal with accountability and transparency in the charter school industry.

The State Board of Education has heard appeals by these Charter Management Organizations and is set to make a decision on October 22 or 23. It is critically important that the State Board of Education hear from thousands of Tennesseans. Tell them to respect the school board's decision.

This is going on right now in Nashville but could very easily happen to many other districts across our state. The members of the State Board of Education must know that we believe in our schools and our communities.