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A message from the
Massachusetts Department of
Elementary and Secondary Education

August 9, 2019
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For immediate release
Friday, August 9, 2019
Contact: Jacqueline Reis 781-338-3115   
   
 
Four Groups Seek to Open New Charter Schools
In addition, three schools seek to expand

MALDEN — The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education received proposals this summer from four groups seeking to open new charter schools in Lynn, Milford and Westfield. In addition, three existing charter schools submitted requests to expand their enrollment: a Horace Mann (district-approved) charter school in Boston and Commonwealth (independent) charter schools in Saugus and Springfield.
 
Commissioner Jeffrey C. Riley will decide by mid-September which applicant groups to invite to submit full proposals for new schools. Those final applications will be due by October 16, 2019, and the commissioner will then decide which finalists to recommend to the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education for consideration at their February 2020 meeting.
 
"We will review these prospectuses and expansion requests carefully and will consider their strengths as they relate to opportunities that they would offer students,” Elementary and Secondary Education Commissioner Jeffrey C. Riley said.
 
Under state statute, the 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 announced today would create new schools or expand existing schools to serve communities that are still below their caps.
 
In districts subject to the 18 percent cap, charter school founders and existing schools seeking seats above the 9 percent threshold must demonstrate that they are "proven providers" with a track record of strong performance, especially with regard to high-need students. Nearly all of the groups that are proposing new schools or expansions this year will need to show that they are proven providers. The two exceptions are noted in the tables below by two asterisks (**). Exceptions include any Horace Mann charter school and districts where sufficient seats are available under the 9 percent cap to accommodate all current requests.
 
Prospectuses for new charter schools:
 
Proposed School Name
District or Region
(proposed school location is in bold)
Proposed Grade Span Proposed Maximum Enrollment Opening Year
Equity Lab Charter School Lynn 5-12 640 2020
The Foundation Academy Charter School Westfield, Easthampton, Gateway Regional, Hampshire Regional 7-12, Chesterfield-Goshen*, Southampton, Westhampton*, Williamsburg* and Holyoke K-8 580 2020
Jean Charles Academy, A Regional Commonwealth Charter School Lynn, Chelsea, Everett, Revere, and Swampscott PK-12 1,100 2021
Leading Edge Charter School** Milford, Bellingham, Blackstone-Millville, Hopedale, Medway, Mendon-Upton, and Uxbridge K-8 270 2020
*Districts where additional growth is limited because student enrollment is approaching that district’s net school spending cap. Although the proposed school would serve a region including these districts, enrollment would come primarily from the other districts in the proposed region.
**Does not have to demonstrate proven provider status
 
 
Requests to Expand Existing Charter Schools:
 
Existing Charter School District or Region (school location is in bold) Current Grade Span Current Maximum Enrollment Proposed Amendment to Charter
Boston Day and Evening Academy Charter School (Horace Mann charter school)** Boston 9-12 405 Increase enrollment by 100 seats.
Pioneer Charter School of Science II Saugus*, Lynn, Salem*, Danvers, Peabody 7-12 360 Add grades K-6 and increase enrollment by 498 seats.
Veritas Preparatory Charter School Springfield 5-8 432 Add grades 9-12 and increase enrollment by 363 seats.
*Districts where additional growth is limited because enrollment is approaching that district’s net school spending cap. Additional enrollment would come primarily from other districts in the school’s region.
**Does not have to demonstrate proven provider status

 
When deciding whether to allow a school to amend its charter to expand, the commissioner and Board consider evidence regarding the success of the school's academic program, its organizational viability, its faithfulness to the terms of its charter and the availability of existing seats under current caps.
 
With respect to the expansion requests, the commissioner and Board will consider comments solicited from the superintendents within each charter school's proposed district or region. Members of the public may also submit written comments regarding expansion requests 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.
 
Comments on proposed new schools will be solicited during the final application stage.
 
There are currently 82 charter schools in Massachusetts serving over 45,000 students, which is almost 5 percent of all public school students in the Commonwealth. For more information on charter schools, visit http://www.doe.mass.edu/charter/.
 
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