Massachusetts Charter Schools

Charter Amendment Requests Pending BESE Action (Grades, Enrollment, or Districts Served)

Pursuant to the Charter School Regulations, 603 CMR 1.10(1), the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (Board) must approve certain changes in the material terms of a school's charter. This year, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (Department) received requests from eight existing charter schools that involve changes to the districts served, the grades served, and/or the maximum enrollment allowed. If you wish to request a copy of any of the submitted amendment requests or if you have any questions, please contact charterschools@doe.mass.edu. Section 1.10 of 603 CMR contains several criteria that the Commissioner and the Board may consider in reaching a determination regarding a school's request to amend its charter. First, "the Commissioner and the Board may consider a charter school's compliance with applicable state, federal, and local law." Second, the Commissioner and the Board may consider the evidence regarding the success of the school's academic program, the viability of the school as an organization, and the faithfulness of the school to the terms of its charter. Third, if seeking an increase in maximum enrollment, the board of trustees in some districts must qualify as a "proven provider" based on the existing school and meet the performance criteria described in 603 CMR 1.04(4). Fourth, schools must address additional criteria as outlined in the Department's guidelines on amendments. We currently anticipate that these matters may be brought to the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education for consideration no earlier than its November 25, 2014 meeting and no later than its February 24, 2015 meeting. Please check Board Meeting Schedule and Agendas for updates. Comment is solicited from the superintendents in the school districts within each charter school's current/proposed district or region for Commissioner and Board consideration. Members of the public may submit written comments regarding a school's amendment request for Commissioner and Board consideration to: Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, c/o Office of Charter Schools and School Redesign, 75 Pleasant Street, Malden, MA 02148 or by email to charterschools@doe.mass.edu. The deadlines for public comment vary by school request, please see below for additional information. Each deadline is guided by the Board's anticipated schedule to consider various charter school matters, including proposed charter amendments.

Existing Charter School Name	Current District or Region	Current Maximum Enrollment	Current Grades	Charter Amendment Requests	Deadlines for Public Comment
Pioneer Valley Chinese Immersion Charter School	Agawam, Amherst, Amherst-Pelham (Amherst, Leverett, Pelham, Shutesbury), Belchertown, Chesterfield-Goshen (Chesterfield, Goshen), Chicopee, Conway, Deerfield, East Longmeadow, Easthampton, Frontier (Conway, Deerfield, Sunderland, Whately), Gill-Montague (Gill, Montague), Granby, Granville, Greenfield, Hadley, Hampden-Wilbraham (Hamden, Wilbraham), Hampshire (Chesterfield, Goshen, Southampton, Westhampton, Williamsburg), Hatfield, Hawlemont, Holyoke, Leverett, Longmeadow, Ludlow, Mohawk Trail (Ashfield, Buckland, Charlemont, Colrain, Hawley, Heath, Plainfield, Shelburne), Northampton, Pelham, Pioneer Valley (Bernardston, Leyden, Northfield, Warwick), Shutesbury, South Hadley, Southampton, Springfield, Sunderland, West Springfield, Westfield, Westhampton, Whately, Williamsburg, Southwick-Tolland (Southwick, Tolland)	584	K-12	Maximum enrollment increase of 384 students	Dec. 12, 2014
Salem Academy Charter School	Salem	372	6-12	Maximum enrollment increase of 108 students	Dec. 12, 2014
UP Academy Charter School of Boston	Boston (Horace Mann)	500	6-8	Maximum enrollment increase of 40 students	Dec. 12, 2014
Helen Y Davis Leadership Academy Charter Public School	Boston	216	6-8	Add grades K-5, 9-12; maximum enrollment increase of 536 students; and add Avon, Braintree, Brockton, Brookline, Cambridge, Chelsea, Holbrook, Lynn, Milton, Quincy, Randolph, Revere, Somerville, Stoughton to become regional	Dec. 12, 2014
KIPP Academy Lynn Charter Public School	Lynn	850	5-12	Add grades K-4, and maximum enrollment increase of 736 students	Dec. 12, 2014
Pioneer Charter School of Science	Chelsea, Everett, & Revere	360	7-12	Add grades K-6, and maximum enrollment increase of 420 students	Dec. 12, 2014
Hampden Charter School of Science	Chicopee, Ludlow, Springfield, & West Springfield	350	6-12	Maximum enrollment increase of 210 students	Dec. 12, 2014
Mystic Valley Regional Charter School	Everett, Malden, Medford, Melrose, Stoneham, & Wakefield	1500	K-12	Maximum enrollment increase of 400 students	Dec. 12, 2014

Last Updated: September 23, 2014