Valor Collegiate Academies has lost a top executive in the middle of a state financial probe, with chief operating officer Thomas Branch resigning after school leaders say they uncovered financial irregularities and alerted state officials. The Nashville charter network says it has launched an internal review while the Tennessee Comptroller's Office conducts its own inquiry. Valor operates three campuses that together serve roughly 1,900 students in grades 5 through 12, and leaders say day-to-day operations will continue.
According to WSMV, CEO Todd Dickson told the station he found "a number of financial irregularities," after which Branch stepped down. The outlet reports that Valor notified the Tennessee Comptroller's Office about the issues and opened its own internal review into the discrepancies.
On the organization's staff page, Valor Collegiate Academies lists Branch as the chief operating officer and notes that the network runs three tuition-free campuses serving about 1,900 students. The network's public-information pages also include audited financial statements and board materials that are available for public review. Those documents are expected to be key as state auditors and Valor's internal reviewers go through the fiscal records.
CEO's message and district response
Dickson told the station that Valor will keep classes and programs running while the internal and state reviews move forward, and, according to WSMV, he asked families for patience during the process. A Metro Nashville Public Schools spokesman, the station reported, directed questions about the situation back to Valor's leadership.
What a comptroller review can involve
The Tennessee Comptroller's Office oversees financial and investigative audits of public entities, including schools. Its public reports include a 2023 audit of Valor's internal school funds, which is posted on the comptroller's site (Tennessee Comptroller's Office). Past investigative audits show that the office has at times worked with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation when potential misappropriation or serious control failures were identified, underscoring how far these reviews can go (Tennessee Comptroller's Office). In general, auditors examine internal controls, bank records, and compliance with state accounting rules as they decide whether corrective steps or referrals are needed, and Valor's public financial paperwork is expected to factor into that work.
What comes next for families and the network
Valor says it has started its internal review and that leaders plan to share updates with families and other stakeholders as things develop. The situation lands amid periodic tension between charter networks and Metro Nashville Public Schools, including a recently severed sports partnership that left some Valor students in limbo, a dynamic previously reported by Axios Nashville. For now, officials say classes will continue while the internal and state reviews play out and determine whether further action is required.
