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Amid Hillsdale fallout, Tenn. staffers fretted about optics

FILE - Rep. Mark White, R-Memphis, left, talks with Rep. Sam Whitson, R-Franklin, during a meeting of the House Public Health Committee Thursday, Oct. 28, 2021, in Nashville, Tenn. Tennessee's Charter School Commission was formed in 2019. Rep. White, the Republican who sponsored the legislation backed by Gov. Lee, said at the time the proposal would move the charter school appeals process from the state education board — which has a wide variety of oversight responsibilities — to a new charter-focused panel. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey, File) FILE - Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee delivers his inaugural address after taking the oath of office in Nashville, Tenn., Jan. 19, 2019. Tennessee state staffers watched intently this summer while local school officials voted down a contentious Hillsdale College-linked charter school. According to public records, the staffers were aware their state commission would likely be in the tight spot soon of deciding whether to let the school open anyway. The text chain highlights the scrutiny that is coming regardless for the Tennessee Charter School Commission, which has drawn skepticism from educators and Democratic lawmakers as the relatively new panel is made up of appointees handpicked by Republican Gov. Bill Lee. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey, File) FILE - The Tennessee House of Representatives meets Oct. 27, 2021, in Nashville, Tenn. Tennessee state staffers watched intently this summer while local school officials voted down a contentious Hillsdale College-linked charter school. According to public records, the staffers were aware their state commission would likely be in the tight spot soon of deciding whether to let the school open anyway. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey, File) FILE - Larry Arnn, president of Hillsdale College in Hillsdale, Mich., speaks at a news conference in Jackson, Mich., April 5, 2000. When local school officials voted down a charter school linked to Hillsdale College this summer, staffers at the state commission that would soon have to decide whether to let the controversial school open anyway reacted with shock at how things unfolded. The text messages they exchanged, obtained through a records request by The Associated Press, showed the close attention state staffers paid to the school board's resounding rejection in the wake of Arnn's disparaging comments about teachers. When no one showed up to make the case for the Hillsdale-affiliated charter school application, the alarm among those who would be left holding the bag was palpable. (Bob Keyes/Jackson Citizen Patriot via AP, File)