Family & Community Alternative Learning
Massachusetts Charter Schools

2007-2008 Application for a Massachusetts Public Charter School

May 2007

Dear Prospective Applicant:

Thank you for your interest in applying for a charter to establish a charter school in Massachusetts. In the 2007-2008 application cycle, there are 17 Commonwealth charters and 41 Horace Mann charters available. Charter schools are public schools that are given the freedom to organize their activities around a core mission, curriculum, or teaching method and set their own budgets as well as manage their own staff. In return for this freedom, a charter school must demonstrate positive results within five years or risk losing its charter.

Charter schools in Massachusetts are public schools created to increase student achievement, to offer parents more choices, to develop innovative school models, to disseminate best practices, and to be held accountable for results. Each school is managed by a board of trustees and operates independently of any school committee under a five-year charter granted by the Board of Education. It has the freedom to organize around a core mission, curriculum, theme, and/or teaching method, to control its own budget, and hire (and fire) teachers and staff. In return for this freedom, a charter school must attract students and produce positive results within five years or its charter may not be renewed.

The application is the first stage of the accountability process that governs all charter schools during the course of their five year charters. It is organized around three issues: whether the school is faithful to the terms of its charter, whether the school is an academic success, and whether the school is a viable organization. The application is the first of many opportunities a successful charter applicant will have to gather, describe, and report evidence that their school is charter worthy.

Thank you for your interest in establishing a charter school. If you have any questions regarding this application or the review process, please contact the Charter School Office at (781) 338-3227. We look forward to receiving your application.

Sincerely,

David P. Driscoll
Commissioner of Education