Massachusetts Charter Schools

Charter School Board of Trustees Information, Approvals, and Disclosures

Commissioner approval of charter board trustees: All members of your charter school's board of trustees—regardless of voting status or if a member is ex officio—must receive state approval. To receive approval for a new board member, please submit a resume and letter stating that the school's board of trustees voted to accept the individual in a meeting held in compliance with Open Meeting Law. The individual may not take official action as a board member until state approval is received. A Template for Approval of New Board Members is enclosed and can be found at http://www.doe.mass.edu/charter/governance/. If an approval date is not indicated for a particular active board member on the list, please either provide documentation of a previously received approval or send a letter of request for approval. Financial disclosure forms for prior calendar year (2007), due September 1, 2008: Each trustee who served on your charter school board for at least 30 days in calendar year 2007 must file an original Disclosure of Financial Interest Form for Calendar Year 2007 with the Charter School Office, with a copy to the State Ethics Commission and the clerk for the city or town in which the charter school is located. [Note: Trustees cannot begin filing disclosures for calendar year 2008 until January 1, 2009.] A Disclosure of Financial Interest Form for Calendar Year 2007 is enclosed and can be found at http://www.doe.mass.edu/charter/governance/. Voting status and term history: On the attached list, please be sure to provide the voting status (voting or non-voting) and the complete historical date range of service for each trustee through the end of the current term. Voting paid employee trustees: Paid employees of the charter school may not serve as voting trustees unless the school's approved bylaws explicitly require their membership and they are hired with the expectation that possible service on the board of trustees may become part of the individual's job expectations. Voting paid employee trustees should resubmit their disclosure statements if they did not disclose any financial interest (see the disclosure information on the attached list to see if this is the case). Please contact the State Ethics Commission at 617-371-9500 with questions.