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Parents Support Cornerstone Prep Lester

Everybody in this school is for the children; The teachers are always there - The principal is there - Administrators are there - The guidance counselor is there, which is why I've kept my two children here and I've brought all of my sisters kids here. I've been telling them about Cornerstone and how it's a good school and it's one of the best parts of the community. Keep Cornerstone here, keep CEG here, and keep everyone that brought these teachers here."

(Charlesa Gray, parent to Charlotte Wiggins (K) & Eddie Wiggins (3))

Ten years ago Cornerstone Prep Lester (CPL) Campus opened in the Binghampton Community, serving students from pre-kindergarten to 3rd grade. The school added one grade per year, for each of the following two years, to become a full elementary school, consisting of students in grades prek-5.

Over the past ten years, we have seen amazing things in our classrooms. Students have grown in Wisdom and Knowledge, teachers have delivered great lessons with enthusiasm, parents have engaged in the work of educating children, after school programs have provided extracurricular experiences, and together with the community, students have grown and flourished.

CPL was given the opportunity to engage in the work in Binghampton through the legislation known as the Achievement School District (ASD). The ASD was formed by the state of Tennessee to support schools throughout the state. Organizations like Capstone Education Group (CEG) were given 10 years to engage in the work as part of the ASD. For CEG’s first school, Cornerstone Prep Lester Campus, the 10 year contract ends this year.

State law provides parents the opportunity to voice their approval of the work and allow the existing school to stay in the community past the 10 years designated by state legislation. Parents can choose to make their preference known through a mechanism known as the parent trigger law. If enough parents vote using the trigger law process, the state confirms the desire of parents and the organization earns the right to continue to teach children in the community.

The trigger law gives parents only 30 days to express their desire for the school to continue to be their neighborhood school. In less than one week, guardians of 86% of Cornerstone Prep Lester Campus students answered “yes” on the petition, providing overwhelming support for Cornerstone Prep Lester Campus to continue to be operated by Capstone Education Group as an ASD authorized school. CEG parent, Charlesa Gray, shares why she wants CPL to remain in her community: 

"I love Cornerstone Prep Lester because the teachers are really active with the students," Ms. Gray says. "I had a bullying incident with my son and I really appreciated how the teacher and principal handled the situation. They gave him options to either stay in his classroom or change classrooms. I loved how attentive Mrs. Slaughter [CPL’s principal] was to his situation. She didn't make it a big group thing and she talked directly to him and it was a good one-on-one experience."

Ms. Gray goes on to share about her children, Charlotte Wiggins (K) & Eddie Wiggins (3), and their teachers:

"I like how the teachers are real hands on with the students. I love Mrs. T & Ms. Gunn, my daughters’ kindergarten teacher. They're always right there, and it's never just the teacher standing in front of the classroom. There's always a teacher there available to be with the student and I've been able to count on my teachers to help me. I've never had my children to sit in a classroom not knowing."

We are pleased to affirm the desire of parents and guardians as represented by their signatures on the parent trigger petition form and look forward to serving families in Binghampton for years to come.