Massachusetts Charter Schools

Charter Amendment Requests Pending BESE Action (Grades, or Maximum Enrollment, or Change to Charter Region)

Pursuant to the Charter School Regulations, 603 CMR 1.10(1), the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (Board) must approve certain changes in the material terms of a school's charter. This year (2017-2018), the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (Department) received requests from four existing charter schools that involve changes to the grades served, the maximum enrollment allowed, or the charter region. If Board members wish to request a copy of any of the submitted amendment requests or have any questions, please contact charterschools@doe.mass.edu. Section 1.10 of 603 CMR contains several criteria that the Commissioner and the Board may consider in reaching a determination regarding a school's request to amend its charter. First, "the Commissioner and the Board may consider a charter school's compliance with applicable state, federal, and local law." Second, the Commissioner and the Board may consider the evidence regarding the success of the school's academic program, the viability of the school as an organization, and the faithfulness of the school to the terms of its charter. Third, if seeking an increase in maximum enrollment in certain districts, the board of trustees must qualify as a "proven provider" based on the existing school and meet the performance criteria described in 603 CMR 1.04(4). Fourth, schools must address additional criteria as outlined in the Department's guidelines on amendments. We currently anticipate bringing these matters to the Board for consideration no earlier than its meeting scheduled for December 19, 2017, and anticipate completing the process by its meeting scheduled for March 28, 2018. Updates may be found on the Department's website at Board Meeting Schedule and Agendas. The Department solicits comments from the superintendents in the school districts within each charter school's current/proposed district or region. Members of the public may submit written comments regarding a school's amendment request to: Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, c/o Office of Charter Schools and School Redesign, 75 Pleasant Street, Malden, MA 02148 or by email to charterschools@doe.mass.edu.

Name of Charter School	Current District or Region	Current Grade Span	Current Maximum Enrollment	Proposed Amendment to Charter	Public Comment Deadline
Holyoke Community Charter School	Holyoke	K-8	702	Add grades 9-12; add Chicopee, South Hadley, and West Springfield to charter region; and increase enrollment by 439 seats	December 15, 2017
KIPP Academy Lynn Charter School	Lynn	K-12	1,586	Increase enrollment by 1,014 seats	January 2, 2018
Pioneer Valley Chinese Immersion Charter School	Agawam, Amherst, Amherst-Pelham, Belchertown, Chesterfield-Goshen, Chicopee, Conway, Deerfield, East Longmeadow, Easthampton, Frontier, Gill-Montague, Granby, Granville, Greenfield, Hadley, Hampden-Wilbraham, Hampshire, Hatfield, Hawlemont, Holyoke, Leverett, Longmeadow, Ludlow, Mohawk Trail, Northampton, Pelham, Pioneer Valley, Shutesbury, South Hadley, Southampton, Springfield, Sunderland, West Springfield, Westfield, Westhampton, Whately, Williamsburg, Southwick-Tolland	K-12	584	Increase enrollment by 452 seats	December 15, 2017
Veritas Preparatory Charter School	Springfield	5-8	324	Increase enrollment by 108 seats	November 17, 2017

Last Updated: September 15, 2017