Massachusetts Charter Schools

For Immediate Release
Friday, November 16, 2012
Contact:	JC Considine 781-338-3112

Eight Public Hearings Scheduled on Eleven Charter School Final Applications

MALDEN - The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (ESE) today announced that eight public hearings have been scheduled across the state to invite community members to comment on this year's eleven charter school final applications. Charter school founding groups who submitted a final application for a Massachusetts public charter school will undergo a rigorous review process over the next three months. The public hearings represent an opportunity for interested parties to provide feedback on the finalists. At least one member of the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education will attend each hearing and report back to the full Board on the public testimony provided at each hearing. In addition to the hearings, members of the public can submit written comments through Friday, January 4, 2013, to: Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, c/o Charter School Office, 75 Pleasant Street, Malden, MA 02148 or by email to charterschools@doe.mass.edu. Public hearings will be held from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. in the following locations: Wednesday, November 28, 2012 - Boston
Curtis Hall Community Center, 20 South Street, Jamaica Plain Monday, December 3, 2012 - Lawrence
Lawrence Public Library Main Branch - Meeting Room, 51 Lawrence Street, Lawrence Wednesday, December 5, 2012 - Springfield
YMCA, 275 Chestnut Street #1, Springfield Thursday, December 6, 2012 - New Bedford
New Bedford Whaling National Historic Park, Corson Maritime Learning Center, 33 William Street, New Bedford Monday, December 10, 2012 - Saugus
Saugus Public Library, 295 Central Street, Saugus Wednesday, December 12, 2012 - Woburn
Woburn City Hall, 10 Common Street, Woburn Thursday, December 13, 2012 - Fall River
Fall River Public Library, 104 N. Main Street, Fall River Tuesday, December 18, 2012 - Brockton
Brockton Public Library, Main Library, 304 Main Street, Brockton The final application process includes a rigorous review of the written final application by a review team, an interview of the applicant group by the Charter School Office, public hearings in the areas where schools are proposed to be located, and a review of any public comments offered to ESE. Elementary and Secondary Education Commissioner Mitchell Chester will then review all of the materials and make final recommendations to the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education for consideration and vote at its February 26, 2013 meeting. The founders of twelve proposed charter schools were invited to submit final applications during this year's application cycle. One of those proposed schools, Match Next Charter Public School in Boston, chose not to submit a final application. The eleven proposed charter schools that submitted final applications during the 2012-2013 application cycle are:

Commonwealth Charter School Prospectuses	District or Region	Opening Year	Grades	Proposed Maximum Enrollment
Argosy Collegiate Charter School	Fall River	2014	5-12	585
Brooke 4 Charter School	Boston	2014	K-8	510
City on a Hill Charter Public School II	Boston	2013	9-12	280
City on a Hill Public School New Bedford	New Bedford	2014	9-12	280
International Charter School of Brockton	Brockton	2014	K-12	1200
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	465
YouthBuild Academy Charter School	Lawrence	2013	9-12	173

Horace Mann Charter School Prospectuses	District or Region	Opening Year	Grades	Proposed Maximum Enrollment
UP Academy Charter School of Dorchester	Boston	2013	K1-8	750

Additional information on charter schools is available online at Massachusetts Charter Schools.

Last Updated: November 16, 2012