Family & Community Alternative Learning
Massachusetts Charter Schools

Notification of Projected Enrollment in Charter Schools in School Year 2002-2003

In accordance with M.G.L. c.71, §89, and 603 CMR 1.07(2), the purpose of this memorandum is to notify you of the number of students from your district who are expected to be enrolled in Commonwealth charter schools for the 2002-2003 school year.

I am providing you with two reports that provide information about estimated charter school enrollment for the upcoming school year. The first report, Projected Total Charter School Enrollment for the 2002- 2003 School Year [ PDF || MS EXCEL ], provides the total enrollment count for each charter school, grade levels to be served, and number of students on the waiting list.

The second enrollment report, Projected Charter School Enrollment for the 2002-2003 School Year, by Sending District [ PDF || MS EXCEL ], identifies the number of students from each district that have enrolled in charter schools and the number of students placed on the waiting list.

According to state regulations, payments shall be made to charter schools "only for the total number of students from all districts" as reported on the charter school pre-enrollment report due April 1. As a result, while actual enrollment from your district may differ slightly, the total enrollment in a charter school from all districts, as listed on the attached report, represents a cap on the number of students that may be enrolled in that charter school during the upcoming school year.

The first two quarterly payments to charter schools in FY03 will be based on the attached pre-enrollment report using the final FY02 charter school tuition rate for each district. The last two quarterly payments for FY03 will be based on actual charter school enrollment and the current FY03 charter school tuition rate, with corrections made for any over- or under-payment in the first two quarters.

Under current law, school districts would be reimbursed the combined amount of 100% of the increase in payments to charters from FY02 to FY03, 60% of the tuition increase from FY01 to FY02, and 40% of the tuition increase from FY00 to FY01. The Governor has filed legislation, however, that calls for a reduction in this account, to an amount equaling one-third of a district's tuition increase from FY02 to FY03. Given the current state fiscal crisis and the possibility of state aid reductions, it would be wise for local budget-makers to take a conservative approach in estimating FY03 funding from the charter reimbursement account. For a more detailed explanation of the reimbursement formula, please call the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education's School Finance Office or visit the Department's school finance web page.

Current tuition rates can also be viewed on the Department's school finance web page. To obtain additional information regarding current FY2002 charter school tuition rates for your school district, you may contact Hadley Cabral in the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education's Office of School Finance, at (781) 338-6586.

If you have any questions regarding charter school enrollment, the charter school statute or regulations, or the funding formula, please call me or my colleague, Rebecca Holmes, at (781) 338-3228.

Reports

• Projected Total Commonwealth Charter School Enrollment for the 2002-2003 School Year
  [ PDF || MS EXCEL ]

• Projected Commonwealth Charter School Enrollment for the 2002-2003 School Year, by Sending District
  [ PDF || MS EXCEL ]