Charter News & Developments

Study Finds Charter School Facility Funding Lags Far Behind Districts

2013-02-05T19:26:48Z

Charter public schools are recognized as the state’s best tool to close race and income-based achievement gaps, but state policies put them at a disadvantage compared to district public schools when it comes to obtaining and financing facilities, according to a new study “An Analysis of the Charter School Facility Landscape in Massachusetts.”

As a result of inequitable state funding streams and roadblocks set up by cities and towns to prevent charter operators from buying or leasing vacant municipal buildings, charters must borrow hundreds of millions of dollars in the private market, raise funds from donors and parents, and reallocate operating funds that should be going to support educational programming.

Legislation Filed to Lift the Cap on Charter Public Schools

2013-01-31T15:57:02Z

Charter public school advocates, local business leaders and legislators have filed a bill that would eliminate all charter caps in underperforming districts and create more room to open new charters all across the state. This legislation is part of a comprehensive effort to build on the state’s two-decade-old education reform effort raising academic standards, strengthening accountability and increasing parental choice.

The bill is co-sponsored by Sen. Barry Finegold (D-Andover) and Rep. Russell Holmes (D-Mattapan) and targets 29 communities that rank in the bottom 10% in academic performance.

Right now, more than half of these districts are either at the cap or have room for only one more charter school. These include large cities and towns like Boston, Holyoke, Lawrence, Lowell, Chelsea, and Randolph, and several smaller communities in Central and Western Massachusetts.

This cap denies parents in those communities educational choice and should be eliminated.

The legislation would also address challenges in how charters obtain and finance school facilities requiring municipalities to make space in unused public buildings available to charters to purchase or lease.

The bill would also allow charters to voluntarily establish enrollment lottery preferences for neighborhood families and “high need” children, and also allow charters to create a common enrollment lottery for schools in the same city or town.

Click here to read the Boston Globe story.

MCPSA Statement on Selection of William "Mo" Cowan as Interim U.S. Senator

2013-01-31T15:52:07Z

The Massachusetts charter public school community offers its congratulations to William "Mo" Cowan, former Board Chairman of Roxbury Prep Charter School in Boston, on his appointment as the state’s interim U.S. Senator.

Mo Cowan will become a strong voice in the Senate for urban education reform, helping President Obama pursue his agenda to foster charter school expansion in order to provide more high quality educational options for families across Massachusetts and the country.

He is a strong advocate for charter public school expansion and has been a member of the Massachusetts Business Leaders for Charter Public Schools, a group of influential business and community leaders that advocate for lifting arbitrary caps on charter schools.

As Chairman of the Board of one of the state’s most successful urban middle schools (Roxbury Prep), he understands the role that charters are playing across the state in closing race and income-based achievement gaps.

“With Mo Cowan as Board chair, Roxbury Prep became one of the highest performing public schools in Massachusetts, proving the racial achievement gap can be closed,” said Will Austin, the school’s Chief Operating Officer. “We are thrilled for Mo, and thrilled that the United States Senate now has his voice on the issue of education.”

Parents, Students Explore Options in Boston Area Charter Schools

2013-01-31T15:43:36Z

Hundreds of Boston-area families recently attended the Boston Charter Public School Enrollment Showcase at Wentworth Institute of Technology to learn more about charter schools and fill out applications for the upcoming enrollment lotteries.

Several school leaders, current charter public school parents and students, and families who attended the showcase were interviewed by Boston Neighborhood Network news. Click on the video below to watch the video and learn about the education that one charter school student describes as focused on her future.

The showcase provided parents and students with the opportunity to meet school leaders, faculty and current students from eighteen Boston-area charter public schools. Charter schools are tuition-free public schools that are open to all children in Grades K-12. Enrollment for each school is determined by lottery, which will be held in March.

Parents, Students Explore Options in Boston Area Charter Schools from Chris Lovett on Vimeo.

Lift the cap campaign launching soon

2013-01-06T16:54:22Z

Later this month, the MCPSA will launch a legislative campaign to lift current caps on charter public schools. In 2010, the Legislature doubled the number of charters allowed in underperforming districts (reserving those new charters for “proven providers.”) But demand for charters is so high in these districts that space is limited again. Details of the new legislation will be announced soon.

New Secretary of Education appointed

2013-01-06T16:51:58Z

Gov. Patrick recently appointed Brockton school superintendent Matthew Malone as the state’s new Education Secretary – replacing Paul Reville, who served in the administration for five years. Prior to becoming Brockton’s school leader, Malone was a headmaster in Boston and a special assistant to the superintendent in San Diego.

Malone has been leading the charge against SABIS’ proposed charter school in Brockton, and as Education Secretary will sit on the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, which will vote on all charter applications in February. The MCPSA strongly believes Malone should recuse himself from any decisions on the SABIS proposal and will be watching carefully to ensure the ultimate decision is based on the merits of SABIS’ application.

Click here to read the Boston Globe’s opinion on Malone’s appointment.

Mass. charters receive high marks on national quality list

2013-01-06T16:51:00Z

Four Massachusetts charter public schools were ranked among the best in the country in an annual survey of charter schools conducted by U.S. News & World Report. The rankings were based on college readiness and test proficiency. Sturgis Charter Public School was ranked #3, while Mystic Valley Regional Charter School in Malden ranked #31, MATCH in Boston ranked #63, and Prospect Hill Academy Charter School in Somerville/Cambridge ranked #99.

Click here to see the complete list.

Charters, Mayor's Office, BPS discuss concerns over Mayor Menino's education plan

2013-01-06T16:48:40Z

Members of the MCPSA, the Menino Administration and the Boston Public Schools have been meeting to discuss the Association's concerns about Mayor Menino's recently announced education reform plan. Overall, the plan would strengthen the tools the city could use to turn around underperforming schools, but it also includes several provisions that would weaken Commonwealth charters.

The Association is very concerned about measures that would affect parental choice and charter school funding, autonomy, and accountability. The Mayor's proposal is also silent on lifting charter caps.

The MCPSA and the Mayor's representatives will continue meeting about the proposal to go through areas of agreement and disagreement in the coming weeks.

Click here to read Boston Globe and Boston Herald editorials on Menino’s proposal.

Boston receives $3.25 million Gates Foundation grant for Compact initiative

2012-12-06T16:35:28Z

Celebrants from Boston Compact announcement (left to right): Diana Lam (Conservatory Lab Charter School), Kevin Andrews (Neighborhood House Charter School), Meg Campbell (Codman Academy Charter School and Boston School Committee), Mary Driscoll (Edison K-8 School), Dr. Mary Grassa O'Neill (Superintendent, Catholic schools), Bill Gartside (St. Columbkille Partnership School), Dr. Roger Harris (Renaissance Charter School), Rev. Groover (Chair, Boston School Committee)The Gates Foundation awarded Boston a $3.25 million grant to expand an historic Compact among district, charter and Catholic schools in the city. The announcement was made at Conservatory Lab Charter School in Brighton.

Kevin Andrews, chair of the Boston Charter School Alliance, thanked Mayor Menino, Superintendent Carol Johnson and the Archdiocese for enabling schools to work together for the benefit of all children in Boston.

"The Boston Compact is the only one in the country that includes district, charter public and Catholic schools," he said.

The Compact was created last year to encourage more collaboration among all Boston schools.

At the event, Con Lab's students entertained the crowd with selections from Beethoven and Sebelius.

Click here to read the Boston Globe story.

Click here to listen to Conservatary Lab Charter School students perform Finlandia by Sibelius at the event.

Public hearings underway on eleven charter school applications

2012-12-04T17:05:33Z

The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education began hearings on new charter applications. The hearings provide an opportunity for the community to comment on the eleven charter school applications that have reached the final round.

Once the hearings are over, the Department will schedule intensive interviews with the finalists and perform a final review of the applications before making recommendations to the Commissioner, who in turn will make his recommendations to the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education. The Board will vote on the proposals in late February. The proposed schools will go through a three-month review process, which includes feedback from the public hearings.

Click here to read the story.

Click here to see a list of the finalists.