District/School Administration Administration
The Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education

Charter School Applications-Recommendations for Awarding New Charters

In this charter application cycle, the Department received ten prospectuses in August 2007. Based upon the results of the prospectus review, five applicant groups were invited to submit final applications and did so on November 13, 2007. We have concluded our review of the final applications for public school charters. I am recommending the awarding of four new charters in this application cycle.

Included in this packet are the summaries of the applications we are recommending for charters and a motion to grant one Horace Mann charter and three Commonwealth charters. The applicant group not receiving a charter will have an opportunity to receive feedback and may reapply in next year's application cycle if additional enrollment is possible under the 9% of net school spending cap. In this packet you will also find an overview of the review process, including a list of all submitted applications, a list of reviewers, the final application review criteria, and a schedule of public hearings. The packet also includes the written record of the interview with the applicant group, data on the overall student performance of its composite proposed sending district, information related to net school spending in each of the proposed districts, and copies of written comments submitted to the Charter School Office by superintendents and public officials. Copies of all written public comment are available at your request. The full text of the final applications is available on the Department's website at: http://www.doe.mass.edu/news/news.asp?id=3800.

Based upon the results of our review, I recommend that the Board of Education award the following charters:

Silver Hill Horace Mann Charter School

Dorchester Collegiate Academy Charter School

Hampden Charter School of Science (Regional)

International Charter School of Southeastern Massachusetts (Regional)

The charter school statute allows for a total of 120 charter schools: forty-eight Horace Mann and seventy-two Commonwealth. Fifty-four Commonwealth charter schools are currently in operation, and eighteen Commonwealth charters remain available. Seven Horace Mann charter schools are in operation and forty-one Horace Mann charters remain available.

If you have any questions or require additional information, please contact Jeff Wulfson, Associate Commissioner, at 781 338-6500, Mary Street, Director of Charter Schools, at 781 338-3200, or me.

Attachments:

	Overview of the Review Process
	List of Submitted Applications
	List of Prospectus and Final Application Reviewers
	Summary of Final Application Review Criteria
	Schedule of Public Hearings
	Information on applications recommended for a charter: Silver Hill Horace Mann Charter School    Charter Applicant Information Sheet    Application Summary    Proposed Board of Trustees    Summary of Public Comment    Interview Record Dorchester Collegiate Academy Charter School    Charter Applicant Information Sheet    Application Summary    Proposed Board of Trustees    Summary of Public Comment    Interview Record Hampden Charter School of Science    Charter Applicant Information Sheet    Application Summary    Proposed Board of Trustees    Summary of Public Comment    Interview Record International Charter School of Southeastern Massachusetts    Charter Applicant Information Sheet    Application Summary    Proposed Board of Trustees    Summary of Public Comment    Interview Record
	Summary of Public Comment on Applicant Not Recommended
	MCAS Performance and Net School Spending of Proposed Sending Districts