News Article - Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

For Immediate Release
Monday, October 3, 2011
Contact:	JC Considine 781-338-3112

Founders of 7 Proposed Charter Schools Invited To Submit Full Applications

MALDEN - The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education announced today that the founders of all seven proposed charter schools this year have been invited to move to the next stage of the state's charter school application process and submit a final application. Final applications are due on November 7, 2011. The final application process includes a rigorous review of the written final application by a review team, an interview of the applicant group by the Charter School Office, public hearings in the areas where schools are proposed to be located, and a review of any public comments offered to the Department. Elementary and Secondary Education Commissioner Mitchell Chester will then review all of the materials and make his final recommendations to the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education for consideration and vote at their February 28, 2012 meeting. Under the Achievement Gap Act signed by Governor Patrick in January 2010, the cap on district net school spending for funding of charter schools will be raised from 9 percent to a maximum of 18 percent through incremental steps (beginning with a move to 12 percent in 2011 followed by one percent annual increases reaching to 18). The cap lift only applies to districts with academic performance in the lowest 10 percent as measured by MCAS, and applicants under the cap lift must have a proven track record of success in increasing academic attainment and commit to working with a diverse population of students. Sixteen charter schools were approved last year after the cap was raised, bringing the total number of charter schools across the state to 79. The proposed schools invited to submit full applications are:

Commonwealth Charter School Prospectuses	District or Region	Opening Year	Grades	Proposed Maximum Enrollment
Baystate Academy Charter School	Springfield	SY 2013-14	6-12	560
Collegiate Charter School of Lowell	Lowell	SY 2013-14	K-12	1,200
Paulo Freire Social Justice Charter School	Holyoke, West Springfield, Chicopee, Westfield, South Hadley, Northampton	SY 2012-13	9-12	500
Springfield Preparatory Charter School	Springfield	SY 2012-13	5-12	1,070
Somerville Progressive Charter School	Somerville	SY 2012-13	K-8	425

Horace Mann Charter School Prospectuses	District or Region	Opening Year	Grades	Proposed Maximum Enrollment
Dudley Street Neighborhood School	Boston	SY 2012-13	K1-5	320
UP Academy Charter School Boston II	Boston	SY 2012-13	K1-5	700

Last Updated: October 3, 2011