NASHVILLE (AP) — U.S. Education Secretary John B. King Jr. is scheduled to speak at a conference of charter schools in Nashville.

King has two appearances set for the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools event on Tuesday afternoon.

He is scheduled to first participate in a "fireside chat" with Andy Rotherham, co-founder of Bellwether Education Partners, and will then deliver the keynote address to a general session of the conference.

The federal agency is holding a competition to award $65 million in grants to as many as 20 charter management organizations to expand access to students from underserved communities.

Republican Gov. Bill Haslam made opening remarks to the conference on Monday.