Charter School Moratorium Lifted by State
State education officials lifted a temporary moratorium on proposals to open new charter schools in several cities across Massachusetts, including Boston and Lawrence where wait lists are at historic highs.
The Association worked hard to convince the state to release the frozen seats, rather than make parents in those communities wait even longer for opportunities to enroll their children in charters.
More than 1,000 seats will be available in Boston in the next application cycle. The state's decision has prompted new interest among existing charters to expand. The deadline for filing applications is at the end of July.
Nearly 20,000 children are on wait lists in Boston, and 4,500 are on wait lists in Lawrence.
The state imposed the moratorium last year to ensure it did not grant more charters than are allowed under new cap limits. More than a dozen charters were approved in 2011 after the Legislature raised the cap. The new charters included the state's first charter networks.
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