The Mayor Who Made It Possible

As a child growing up in a part of Nashville where she said “safety was always a concern,” Jenny Serrano never imagined her life would lead her to attend a private university on a full scholarship. 

But someone she’s never met did imagine that future being possible – former Nashville Mayor Karl Dean. 

When Mayor Dean was first elected in 2007, Jenny wasn’t even old enough to attend school yet. But the decisions he made while in office opened doors – and parents like Jenny’s mom walked through them.

‘Everything should be on the table’ 

Even before taking office, Mayor Dean promised that improving opportunities for students would be his No. 1 priority. 

“Each of them deserves the best shot possible at a successful life,” Mayor Dean said during his first State of Metro Address in 2008. 

That year, Metro Schools was the only city agency spared from budget cuts as the Great Recession began to impact local tax revenue. Instead, Mayor Dean funded a teacher salary increase. It was a trend he would continue, increasing the school district’s budget by more than $218 million – nearly 37 percent – during his two terms in office. 

Mayor Dean’s speech foretold his approach to education policy, well beyond prioritizing funding. He called on community members to embrace new ideas that could lead to dramatic improvement in a school district where more than a quarter of high school students never reached graduation.  

“We need to recognize that the way our school system looks and works today – the way it has worked in the past – may not be the way it needs to look in order for all of our schools and all of our students to succeed,” he said at the time. “When it comes to the success of our kids, I believe everything should be on the table.” 

“Everything” turned out to include opening doors for public charter schools like Rocketship to expand in the city. 

A trip to California 

Mayor Dean looked across the country for the ideas, programs, and organizations that were making the biggest impact in urban education reform, and worked to bring them to Nashville. 

He launched initiatives across the board – from bringing Teach for America to the city’s most high-need schools to opening a Student Attendance Center to address the root causes of truancy. It was all aimed at bringing the best and most innovative education ideas to scale. And as part of these many efforts, he took a trip to California, where he visited a Rocketship elementary school campus. 

“We were looking for established, quality schools that had a strong organization and Rocketship fit that bill. They were interested in Nashville and interested in expanding,” Mayor Dean said recently. 

With an open invitation from the Mayor, Rocketship began making plans to grow in Tennessee, and the Nashville parents looking for school choice – including Jenny’s mom – would soon have new options. 

‘No going back’ 

Family engagement is a core component of Rocketship’s educational model – parents are recognized as essential partners in sustaining successful schools. For example, founding parents name each new Rocketship campus and teachers visit the homes of all their students at the beginning of the year. Rocketship schools only exist and thrive because of parents like Jenny’s mom.

Today, Jenny attends Lipscomb University, where she’s working on an undergraduate degree in molecular biology with a pre-dental focus.

“Looking back, I know that my journey to this point started with one key decision that my mom made when I was 10 years old,” she said. 

Jenny’s mom is a single mother, who regularly worked three jobs to keep her family afloat. 

“The elementary school I was zoned to attend was located near three nightclubs. Sometimes there would be men sleeping outside the club doors as I walked to school. It was far from the safe, nurturing environment a child should have,” Jenny recalls. 

When her mom learned that a Rocketship school was opening in their neighborhood, she immediately enrolled Jenny and her brother.

“For the first time, I was in a place where learning was the priority. My teachers were passionate about what they were teaching and they cared deeply about me,” Jenny said. 

Rocketship helped Jenny develop a genuine love for learning that she says lasts to this day. After Rocketship, Jenny attended public charter schools for middle and high school because of the impact Rocketship had on her. 

“There was no going back to traditional public schools after that experience,” she said. “I’m a proud product of public charter schools, and I now see myself as an advocate.” 

A true education mayor

Rocketship United Academy – the school Jenny attended – opened in the fall of 2015, just as Mayor Dean left office due to term limits. It was the second Rocketship campus to open in Nashville, and it has been named a Reward School by the State of Tennessee three times. It was most recently recognized for its achievement in 2024, outperforming district and state averages for students of color, economically disadvantaged students, and English Language Learners in both ELA and Math. 

Reward status has been awarded to all three Rocketship Tennessee campuses – with the newest campus Rocketship Dream Community Prep in Antioch receiving the honor in 2025. 

While Jenny’s story is remarkable, it’s not rare. She’s attending college with two Rocketship classmates who also received full scholarships to Lipscomb. They are among thousands of young people whose lives are better today because Mayor Dean delivered on his promise to dramatically improve Nashville’s school system and expand school choice. The city’s high school graduation rate has increased by 15 percentage points since he first took office. 

Mayor Dean was a true education mayor and one of Rocketship Tennessee’s original champions, alongside the founding parents who believed in something new and enrolled their children in those first classrooms. 

As we reflect on Rocketship Tennessee’s first decade, we are deeply grateful for Mayor Dean’s commitment to expanding opportunity for Nashville families – and for every parent who made the choice to be a founding partner in that work. 

This post is the first in a series celebrating 10 years of Rocketship Public Schools in Nashville—highlighting the people and moments that made it possible. Join us as we culminate this celebration at a special event, A Decade of Impact, A Future of Opportunity.

Published on April 6, 2026