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A message from the
Massachusetts Department of
Elementary and Secondary Education

November 2, 2018
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For immediate release
Friday, November 2, 2018
Contact: Jacqueline Reis 781-338-3115   
   
 
Public Hearings Scheduled on Final Applications for Two Charter Schools

MALDEN — The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education announced today that it has scheduled two public hearings in the coming weeks to invite community members to comment on charter school final applications for proposed schools in Haverhill and Lawrence. If approved, the schools would open in fall 2019.
 
The two proposed charter schools that submitted final applications are:
  • Equity Lab Charter School, which would serve up to 640 students in grades 5-12 in Lawrence, and
  • Massachusetts Wildflower Montessori Public Charter School: Haverhill, which would serve up to 240 students in grades 1-8 in Haverhill.
To receive a copy of the applications, including the proposed schools’ budgets, email charterschools@doe.mass.edu. Public hearings will be held from 4:00-6:00 p.m. in the following locations:
 
HAVERHILL
Monday, December 3, 2018
University of Massachusetts – Lowell, Haverhill Campus
Innovation Hub Haverhill
2 Merrimack St., Third Floor
 
LAWRENCE
Wednesday, December 5, 2018       
Lawrence Public Library
Sargent Auditorium
51 Lawrence St.
 
In addition to the hearings, members of the public can submit written comments about the proposed schools through December 21, 2018 to: Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, c/o Office of Charter Schools and School Redesign, 75 Pleasant St., Malden, MA 02148 or by email to charterschools@doe.mass.edu.
 
Both of the charter school founding groups that submitted a final application will undergo a rigorous review process over the next three months before Elementary and Secondary Education Commissioner Jeffrey C. Riley decides which of the proposals, if any, to recommend to the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education. The public hearings are an opportunity for interested people to provide feedback on the proposed schools. At least one member of the Board will attend each hearing and will report back to the full Board on the public testimony provided.
 
The final application process includes a review of the written final application by a review team, an interview of the applicant group, public hearings in the areas where each school proposes to locate, and a review of public comments submitted to DESE. Commissioner Riley will then review all of the materials and make his recommendations to the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, which will potentially vote to grant charters in February 2019.
 
A provision of the 2010 Achievement Gap Act requires that at least two Commonwealth charters be awarded in districts or regions identified as performing in the lowest 10 percent (download) before any additional Commonwealth charters may be awarded each year. Both of this year’s applicants propose to serve a district identified as performing in the lowest 10 percent.
 
In addition to the proposals for new schools, DESE is also reviewing expansion requests from existing charter schools. The Board will consider expansions at meetings from December through February.
 
Commonwealth charter schools are fully autonomous and operate independently of the local school district. Charter schools are open to all Massachusetts students, with enrollment preference given to students in the district or region where the school is located. There are 82 operating charter schools in Massachusetts serving approximately 45,000 students. For more information, visit the charter schools section of the DESE website.
 
The state’s charter school cap limits the amount of net school spending that a school district can spend on charter school tuition. No more than 9 percent of a district's net school spending may be allocated to charter school tuition, except in the state's lowest performing districts, where the cap on charter tuition is 18 percent. The proposals invited to the final application process would, if approved, create schools in communities that are currently below their caps.
 
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