NASHVILLE, TN (WSMV) -
A Metro charter school already facing an order to shut down could now see another challenge. So many students and teachers are leaving the school, some are wondering if they'll even make it to the end of the academic year.
It's been just over three months since the Metro School Board voted to close Smithson-Craighead Middle School at the end of this school year.
Since then, at least 15 teachers and staff members have left the school, donations have dried up and some parents say they are questioning whether it's even worth sticking it out.
"It's crazy. It's not organized. It's out of control right now," said parent Alvin Johnson.
In deciding to close the school, the board's main concern was that students at the Madison charter school weren't making enough academic progress. Numbers from two years ago showed just 5 percent of the students considered proficient in math and 16 percent proficient in reading.
Now, some parents say they are even more concerned about whether their kids are getting a decent education, because several teachers and staff members have been dismissed or left - including the principal - and some class sizes have doubled.
"One of the reasons I sent her here is because they were all separate at first. It was girls in one class, boys in one class," Johnson said. "Now, it's one week they'll be all together, and then the next week. They're just still trying to figure out what they're doing, I guess."
One teacher told Channel 4 News money is so tight at the school right now, they've cut field trips and even snacks during tutoring.
Channel 4 asked school leaders about the school's financial stability and whether students are getting a proper education with all the recent changes. Their response was they plan to give students the best program they can give for as long as they are allowed.
While many donations have dried up, it's important to point out the school does still receive per-pupil funding from the state.
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