December 19, 2003
ROMNEY, HEALEY PROPOSE LIFTING CHARTER SCHOOL CAP
SPRINGFIELD - In order to encourage competition and excellence in the Commonwealth's public school system, Lieutenant Governor Kerry Healey today said she and Governor Mitt Romney will propose the unlimited expansion of public charter schools.
"Charter schools are public schools," Healey said, during a visit to the Sabis International Charter School. "Charter schools provide more choice in public education and encourage innovation and excellence. They hold teachers and administrators accountable for the educational success of their students and give parents the chance to make choices about their children's education."
Healey noted that compared to the highest performing high school in Springfield, Sabis had 35 percent more of its tenth grade students scoring in the advanced and proficient categories on the English portion of the MCAS test and 42 percent scoring higher on the math section in those same categories.
There are three caps in place that unnecessarily hinder the further growth of charter schools: a 120-school cap on the number of charter schools statewide; a four percent cap on the number of children statewide that can enroll in charter schools; and a nine percent cap on the amount of school spending that can go to charter schools from each district.
Currently, there are 50 charter schools across Massachusetts, which is below the overall cap. But because of the other statutory constraints, there are 152 school districts that cannot add new charter schools despite heavy demand from parents.
To increase access to charter schools, the Governor and Lieutenant Governor's proposal, which will be filed next week as part of their Fiscal Year 2005 budget, will eliminate the charter school caps.
"Charter schools offer parents a valuable public school choice for their children. Thousands have already taken advantage of their offerings and had success. This proposal will give the thousands more waiting for a slot at a charter school a chance to finally attend one," said Education Commissioner David Driscoll.
"It is essential that public charter schools be allowed to expand to continue to provide parents with a choice for their children’s education. Lifting the cap, as Governor Romney is proposing, will allow that to happen," said Mark Keenan, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Charter School Association
Data from the 2003-2004 school year indicates that 42 percent of charter school students are from low-income families and 49 percent of charter school students represent racial or ethnic minorities.
"All of our students deserve the opportunity for a better education and great future," Healey said.
Healey also announced a provision to allow the establishment of Charter School Management Organizations that can start and manage multiple charter schools at once. Current law requires each charter school to hold an individual charter, have a separate board of directors and a separate administrative structure. Allowing the establishment of management organizations will provide economies of scale and improved coordination.
Massachusetts first opened its doors to the charter schools in 1995. Charter schools are public schools that operate independently of any school committee under a five-year charter granted by the Board of Education. They are given the freedom to organize their activities around a core mission, curriculum, or teaching method and set their own budgets and staffs.
Massachusetts charter schools were created with the philosophy to increase student achievement, to give parents more educational choices, develop best practices and be held accountable for results. A charter school must demonstrate positive results within five years or lose its charter.
For more information on Massachusetts charter schools visit www.doe.mass.edu/charter/ <http://www.doe.mass.edu/charter/>.
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