Massachusetts Charter Schools

For Immediate Release
Friday, September 28, 2012
Contact:	JC Considine 781-338-3112

Founders of 12 Proposed Charter Schools Invited to Submit Full Applications

Malden - The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education announced today that the founders of 12 proposed charter schools have been invited to move to the next stage of the 2012-2013 charter school application process and submit a final application. Final applications are due on November 14, 2012. Those final applications will then be reviewed and evaluated by Department staff and external review panelists with expertise in education, business, law, and organizational structure. In addition, public hearings will be held in the areas where schools are proposed to be located, and a review of any public comments offered to the Department will be conducted. Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education Mitchell Chester will then review all of the materials and make his final recommendations to the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education. The Board will vote to award new charters at its February 26, 2013 meeting. A total of 22 prospectuses had been submitted in July 2012 from groups hoping to ultimately receive approval this year to open new charter schools in Massachusetts. In January 2010, the Patrick-Murray Administration raised the charter school cap in the lowest performing school districts and made a number of changes to the charter authorizing process. The cap on district net school spending under the Achievement Gap Act is being raised from 9 percent to a maximum of 18 percent through incremental steps. 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 new charters were awarded in February 2011, and an additional four were approved this past February. For applicants that must demonstrate that they qualify as proven providers, an invitation to submit a final application is contingent on the Commissioner's granting of proven provider status. The determination of proven provider status will occur prior to the submission deadline for final applications. The proposed schools invited to submit final applications are:

Commonwealth Charter School Prospectuses	District or Region	Opening Year	Grades	Proposed Maximum Enrollment
Argosy Collegiate Charter School	Fall River	2014	5-12	459
Brooke Charter School 4	Boston	2014	K-8	510
City on a Hill Charter Public School II	Boston	2013	9-12	280
City on a Hill Charter Public School New Bedford	New Bedford	2014	9-12	280
International Charter School of Brockton	Brockton	2014	K-12	1200
Match Next Charter Public School	Boston	2013	6-8	216
Phoenix Charter Academy Springfield	Springfield, Holyoke, Chicopee	2013	9-12	250
Pioneer Charter School of Science II	Saugus, Peabody, Lynn, Danvers, Salem	2013	7-12	360
Pioneer Charter School of Science IV	Woburn, Stoneham, Medford, Melrose, Wakefield, Saugus	2014	7-12	360
Springfield Collegiate Charter School	Springfield	2014	K-8	456
YouthBuild Charter Academy	Lawrence	2013	9-12	173

Horace Mann Charter School Prospectuses	District or Region	Opening Year	Grades	Proposed Maximum Enrollment
UP Academy Charter School of Boston II	Boston	2013	K1-5 or K1-8	400

For more information on charter schools, visit Massachusetts Charter Schools.

Last Updated: September 28, 2012