Authorized by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts' Education Reform Act of 1993, charter schools are independent public schools that operate under five year charters granted by the Commonwealth's Board of Education.
The increased freedom available to charter schools coupled with increased accountability, infuses all aspects of the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education's oversight of charter schools, beginning with the rigorous application process that groups must go through to receive a charter. Once the Board of Education has awarded a charter, the new charter school has the freedom to organize around a core mission, curriculum, theme, or teaching method. It is allowed to control its own budget and hire (and fire) teachers and staff. In return for this freedom, a charter school must demonstrate good results within five years or risk losing its charter.
| 2009 |
| 11/16/09 |  Seven Final Applications Received, Public Hearings Scheduled |
| 10/05/09 |  FY2009 Charter School Audit and End of Year Financial Report |
| 09/29/09 | Founders of Eight Proposed Charter Schools Asked To Submit Full Application |
| 09/08/09 | 2009-2010 Back-to-School Charter School Update |
| 09/01/09 | Fourteen New Charter School Prospectuses Submitted for Consideration |
| 07/08/09 | Charter School Developer Program Opportunity, Fund Code 534 |
| 06/19/09 | New Charter Schools Best Practices Guide and Website |
| 06/11/09 | Charter School Start-Up Assistance Program Grant (Fund Code 535) |
| 06/01/09 | Call for Charter Application Reviewers and Site Visitors for 2009-2010 |
| 05/11/09 | Pre-qualified List Consultant Services |
| 04/29/09 | Charter School ARRA Funds - Regional Meetings Registration |
| 04/01/09 | 2009-2010 Charter School Pre-Enrollment |
| 03/23/09 | Wanted: Researcher to study charter school outcomes |
| 02/12/09 | 2009-2010 Pre-Enrollment, Significant Expansion, and NSS Near-Cap Information and Deadlines |
| 02/05/09 | Charter Developer Information Sessions Scheduled |
| 02/04/09 |   Charter School Reporting Requirements for the 2008 - 2009 School Year |
| 01/28/09 | $600,000 of FY2010 Charter School Dissemination Grant Funds Available |
| 01/28/09 | Proposed Changes to the Calculation of Charter School Tuition and Reimbursements |
| 01/15/09 |  Informing the Debate: Comparing Boston's Charter, Pilot and Traditional Schools |
| 2008 |
| 11/19/08 | Three Finalists Submit Charter School Applications, Public Hearings Scheduled |
| 11/12/08 | Charter School Board of Trustees Information, Approvals, and Disclosures |
| 09/28/08 | Founders of Three Proposed Charter Schools Asked To Submit Full Application |
| 09/26/08 | 2008 Annual Fall Charter Leader Meeting |
| 09/25/08 | 2008-2009 Application Cycle Update |
| 09/17/08 | FY2008 Charter School Audit and End of Year Financial Report |
| 09/11/08 | FY07 Charter School End of Year Financial Report Summary |
| 08/28/08 | 2008-2009 Back-to-School Charter Update |
| 08/25/08 | 2008-2009 Orientation for New Administrators at Charter Schools |
| 08/22/08 | Seven New Charter School Prospectuses Submitted for Consideration |
| 07/24/08 | Apply to Open a Charter Public School (2009-2010 Application Cycle) |
| 07/15/08 | Register Now for FY2008 CSEOYFR Finance and MTRS Trainings |
| 06/09/08 | Charter School Office Focus Groups - Summer 2008 |
| 06/05/08 | Education Commissioner Hands Out 3 New, 12 Renewed Charters |
| 06/05/08 | Interested in becoming a vendor with the Department for educational consulting services? |
| 04/28/08 | $400,000 of FY2009 Dissemination Grant Funds Now Available! |
| 04/28/08 |  Application for a Public School Charter 2008-2009 |
| 04/23/08 | August 1st - Deadline Reminders |
| 04/08/08 | Register Now! - Administrative and Governance Guide Trainings |
| 04/03/08 | 2008-2009 Pre-Enrollment, Significant Expansion, and NSS Near-Cap Information and Deadlines |
| 03/14/08 | Information on Recent Revisions |
| 02/26/08 | Board of Education Approves Three New Charter Schools |
| 02/06/08 | 2008-2009 Pre-Enrollment, Significant Expansion, and NSS Near-Cap Information and Deadlines |
| 2007 |
| 11/26/07 | Public Hearings Scheduled On Charter School Finalists |
| 10/23/07 | 2008-2009 Massachusetts Public Charter School Application Cycle |
| 09/27/07 | Five Proposed Charter Schools Moved to Next Phase of Application Process |
| 09/25/07 | 2008 Annual Fall Charter Leader Meeting |
| 09/20/07 | FY2007 Charter School Audit and End of Year Financial Report |
| 08/21/07 | 10 New Charter School Prospectuses Submitted for Consideration |
| 08/20/07 | 2007-2008 Back-to-School Update |
| 07/27/07 | FY07 Charter School End of Year Financial Report Trainings |
| 07/27/07 | Charter School Technical Advisory 07-2: Transportation |
| 07/25/07 | 2007-2008 Orientation for New Charter School Administrators |
| 07/20/07 | FY2008 Dissemination Grant Funds Now Available |
| 06/11/07 | New Information and Tools from Charter School Dissemination Projects Now Available |
| 06/06/07 | Massachusetts Awarded Federal $9 Million Charter School Start Up Grant |
| 06/04/07 | Charter School EPIMS Information Session |
| 06/01/07 | State's First Chinese Immersion School Receives Charter |
| 05/25/07 | Web-Conference Training: FY2008 NCLB Coordinated Grants Package Submission |
| 05/18/07 | Applicant Information Sessions Scheduled |
| 05/15/07 | 2007-2008 Application for a Massachusetts Public Charter School |
| 04/12/07 | Technical Advisory 07-01: Teacher Qualifications in Massachusetts Charter Schools |
| 02/28/07 | Charter Granted For State's First Foreign Language Immersion Charter School |
| 02/07/07 | 2007-2008 Pre-Enrollment, Significant Expansion, and NSS Near-Cap Information and Deadlines |
| 01/10/07 | Grant Opportunity for Development of New Charter Schools |
| 2006 |
| 10/18/06 | 2006 Annual Fall Charter Leader Meeting |
| 09/21/06 | Five Proposed Charter Schools Moved to Next Phase of Application Process |
| 08/30/06 | Study Finds Most Charter Schools Meet or Exceed Performance of Sending Districts |
| 08/22/06 | 2006-2007 Back-to-School Charter Update and Reporting Requirements |
| 08/15/06 | FY2006 Charter School Audit and End of Year Financial Report |
| 08/10/06 | Ten Charter School Prospectuses Received |
| 07/31/06 | Web-Conference Training on Directory Administration |
| 07/31/06 | 2006-2007 Orientation for New Charter School Administrators |
| 07/20/06 | 2006-2007 Application for a Massachusetts Public Charter School Enrollment Projections Update |
| 06/27/06 | Charter School Technical Advisory 06-1: Charter Amendments |
| 06/02/06 | NEW - FY07 Grant Opportunity - Massachusetts Charter School Dissemination Program |
| 05/25/06 | Feedback on Revised Criteria for Charter School Accountability |
| 05/23/06 | FY07 Charter School Dissemination Grants Web Training |
| 05/16/06 | FY06 Charter School End of Year Financial Report Training |
| 04/26/06 | Directory Administration Training for Charter Schools |
| 04/25/06 | Additional Information Sessions and Workshop for Prospective Charter Applicants |
| 04/21/06 | Annual Report Guidelines for the 2005-2006 School Year |
| 04/21/06 | Opening Procedures Handbook: A Guide for Boards of Trustees and Leaders of New Charter Schools |
| 04/19/06 | Forums on Revised Criteria for Charter School Accountability |
| 04/10/06 | Charter School FY07 Tuition and Enrollment Projections |
| 03/31/06 | 2006-2007 Charter School Pre-Enrollment |
| 03/14/06 | A Strategic Plan for the Creation of a Massachusetts Charter School Technical Assistance & Resource Center |
| 03/13/06 | Update on FY06 Charter Tuition Calculations |
| 03/03/06 | Board of Education Grants Three New Charters |
| 02/22/06 | Commissioner To Make Charter School Recommendations to Board of Education |
| 02/01/06 | 2006-2007 Pre-Enrollment and NSS Near-Cap Information |
| 01/27/06 | 2005-2006 Charter School Dissemination Project |
| 2005 |
| 12/09/05 | DOE Hearing in New Bedford - No Cancellation |
| 11/18/05 | Four Finalists Submit Charter School Applications, Public Hearings Scheduled |
| 11/15/05 | FY2005 Charter School Audit Requirements Reminder |
| 11/09/05 | Managing Charter School Enrollment and the Net School Spending Cap |
| 10/31/05 | Fall 2005 Charter Leader Meeting Agenda |
| 10/04/05 | Massachusetts Charter School Dissemination Program Round 2 |
| 09/30/05 | Five Proposed Charter Schools Moved to Next Phase of Application Process |
| 08/31/05 | Massachusetts Charter Schools 2005-2006 Back-to-School Update and Reporting Requirements |
| 08/24/05 | Charter School Technical Advisory 05-1: Approval of Loans Beyond Charter Terms |
| 08/22/05 | Orientation for New Charter School Administrators |
| 08/18/05 | Hearing Officer's Decision on Roxbury Charter High Public School |
| 08/16/05 | Fourteen Charter School Prospectus Received |
| 07/19/05 | Call for Charter Application Reviewers and Site Visitors for 2005-2006 |
| 07/12/05 | Charter Amendment Requests: Detailed Instructions - Deadline August 1 |
| 07/11/05 | Massachusetts Charter School Audit Guide - REVISED as of June 2005 |
| 06/21/05 | Good Faith Estimates of Quarterly Tuition Payments |
| 06/09/05 | FY06 Charter School Developer Program Grant Opportunity |
| 05/26/05 | New Deadline and Process for Charter Amendments |
| 05/18/05 | Annual Report Guidelines for the 2004-2005 School Year |
| 05/12/05 | Reimbursements for MA Charter Schools Training: Circuit Breaker and Medicaid (6/16/05) |
| 05/02/05 | Information Sessions for Charter Applicants |
| 04/26/05 | Report on the Status of BArT; KIPP Academy Lynn; Salem Academy; Advanced Math and Science Academy; and Community Charter School of Cambridge |
| 04/25/05 | Application for Renewal of a Public School Charter |
| 03/31/05 | 2005-2006 Charter School Pre-Enrollment |
| 03/14/05 | Deadline Extended for the Submission of 2005-2006 Charter School Significant Expansion Data |
| 03/07/05 | Opening Procedures Handbook: A Guide for Boards of Trustees and Leaders of New Charter Schools |
| 03/02/05 | 2005-2006 Pre-Enrollment Update and Enrollment Restrictions, Part 2 |
| 02/15/05 | Board of Education Grants Two New Charters |
| 02/10/05 | Commissioner To Make Multiple Charter School Recommendations to Board of Education |
| 02/09/05 | Important Notice Regarding Advance Certification of Quarterly Tuition Payments to Commonwealth Charter Schools |
| 01/31/05 | 2005-2006 Preenrollment Update and Enrollment Restrictions |
| 01/12/05 | Public Hearings on Charter School Proposals Scheduled Around the State |
| 2004 |
| 12/28/04 | Preliminary Charter School FY05 Tuition and Enrollment |
| 12/21/04 | BOE Votes To Close Roxbury Charter High School In June |
| 12/14/04 | Commissioner to Recommend Immediate Closure of Roxbury Charter High School |
| 11/18/04 | Five Finalists Submit Charter School Applications, Public Hearings Scheduled |
| 11/04/04 | FY2004 Audit Requirements |
| 11/04/04 | Massachusetts Charter School Dissemination Program, Round 2 |
| 11/04/04 | Proposed Amendments to Charter School Regulations, 603 CMR 1.00 |
| 11/04/04 | Review of the Charter School Application and Authorization Process |
| 10/21/04 | Full Applications Requested from Five Proposed Charter Schools |
| 10/01/04 | FY05 Projected Tuition and Reimbursements Reflecting Passage of Chapter 352 of the Acts of 2004 |
| 09/24/04 | Massachusetts Charter Schools FY05 Finance Updates and Reporting Requirements |
| 09/17/04 | Eight Prospectuses Submitted for Review |
| 08/25/04 | Charter School 2004 Annual Reports |
| 08/05/04 | Information Sessions for Charter Applicants |
| 07/29/04 | FY2005 Charter School Grant Opportunities |
| 07/29/04 | Charter School Contact Information Update for the 2004-2005 School Year |
| 04/01/04 | 2004-2005 Charter School Pre-Enrollment |
| 02/24/04 | Board of Education Approves Four New Charter Schools |
| 02/12/04 | Enrollment Restrictions for 2004-05 School Year |
| 01/29/04 | Enrollment Policies |
| 2003 |
| 11/25/03 | Seven Finalists Submit Charter School Applications, Public Hearings Scheduled |
| 10/16/03 | Charters Awarded to Founders of Five New Charter Schools; 11 Others Renewed |
| 10/14/03 | Full Applications Requested from Seven Proposed Charter Schools |
| 06/18/03 | FY2004 Requests for Proposals |
| 05/20/03 | Draft Non-regulatory Guidance for No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) and Charter Schools |
| 04/01/03 | 2003-2004 Charter School Pre-Enrollment |
| 2002 |
| 12/12/02 | Public Comment Invited On 11 Proposed New Charter Schools |
| 12/06/02 | 11 Finalists Submit Charter School Applications |
| 03/29/02 | Notification of Projected Enrollment in Charter Schools in School Year 2002-2003 |
| 02/26/02 | Board Votes Not to Renew Charter for Lynn Charter School |
| 2001 |
| 10/25/01 | 12 Finalist Chosen for 2001-2002 Application Cycle |
| 09/21/01 | Proposals for New Charter Schools |
| 2000 |
| 01/06/00 | North Andover Area Residents Invited To Comment On Proposed New Charter School |
| 01/06/00 | New Bedford Area Residents Invited To Comment On Proposed New Horace Mann Charter School |
| 1999 |
| 08/11/99 | Applications for Seven New Horace Mann Charter Schools are Available |
| 1998 |
| 02/25/98 | Massachusetts Approves New Charter Schools |
| 1996 |
| 07/15/96 | Massachusetts Charter School Initiative: 1996 Report |
| 01/01/96 | Defining Characteristics of a Charter School |
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