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BOSTON (AP) — A top state education official called for approval Tuesday of new charter schools in Springfield and Brockton, while also recommending that several Boston charters be allowed to admit high school students for the first time.
The recommendations from Mitchell Chester, commissioner of elementary and secondary education, come amid a flurry of debate over the future of charter school expansion in Massachusetts. The schools are publicly funded but operate largely independent from local school districts.
The state board of education is scheduled next week to consider Chester's request to open the Libertas Academy Charter School in Springfield, and the New Heights Charter School in Brockton. Libertas would serve 630 students in grades 6-12, and New Heights, which if approved would be the first charter in Brockton, would serve 315 students from grades 6-8.
Chester declined to approve two other proposed schools that had reached the final stage of review: International Academy of Montachusett Charter School, which would have served the Fitchburg area, and the Old Sturbridge Academy Charter School. No reason was given for the rejections, but Chester said the unsuccessful applicants would receive "feedback" from the education department.
The commissioner recommended that Brooke charter schools located in the Roslindale, Mattapan and East Boston neighborhoods of Boston and currently serve grades K-8 be allowed to add a single high school to serve students from all three campuses. The Neighborhood House Charter School in the Dorchester neighborhood would also be allowed to add students in grades 9-12.
If the board approves the recommendations, it would authorize the first expansion of charter schools in the city since 2013.
Marc Kenan, executive director of the Massachusetts Charter Public School Association, welcomed the commissioner's announcement but called on the Legislature to lift state caps that prevent additional expansion within Boston.
"More than 13,000 children are on waiting lists for a spot in one of Boston's public charter schools. These additional seats would barely put a dent in that list," said Kenan, in a statement.
Gov. Charlie Baker, a Republican, is actively backing a proposed November ballot question that would allow the state to add up to a dozen new or expanded charters each year outside the existing state caps.
Senate President Stan Rosenberg and House Speaker Robert DeLeo, both Democrats, have both indicated a willingness to address charter school legislation in the remaining months of the legislative session, but no specific proposal has been advanced.
Critics of charter schools, including local school boards and teachers unions, argue they drain financial resources from traditional public schools and fail to adequately serve certain groups of students, including the disabled and those learning the English language.
Chester, who also approved the expansion of an Everett charter school, said all the applications were thoroughly reviewed and those approved would "provide families with additional high-quality education options."
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Online: http://www.doe.mass.edu/charter
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