Less than a week ago, we shared the first six letters of intent. There is one more to add to the mix! We have more information on Applicant No. 7 and updates to the process to open a new charter school in Massachusetts.
The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education received and accepted an additional letter of intent from a charter school applicant after the announced deadline of June 3. The DESE included the following explanation – “Letters of intent are preliminary and non-binding informational items which are not considered part of the mandatory charter application or its scheduled deadlines.”
New Applications (Updated)
Information on the additional letter of intent is listed as #7 below
MGL c. 71, sec 89 specifies that applications for new charters schools be submitted by November 15 and that the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education will grant new charters in February. Within this framework, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has the authority to establish the process and a timeline. The process typically submitting a letter of intent, a prospectus and a final application and a schedule for a required public hearing.
- June 3, 2019 – Letters of intent due
- July 16, 2019 – Prospectus due
- September 2019- Invitation to submit final application – Commissioner decision
- October 16, 2019 – Final applications due
- November 2019 – Hearing will be scheduled after final applications are submitted. The hearing must be in the district where the school is to be located.
- Commissioner will review applications and make a recommendation to the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE)..
- January 2020 BESE meeting – BESE may discuss recommendations
- February 2020 BESE meeting – BESE will vote on DESE/Commissioner recommendations
Expansion Applications
Requests to amend existing charters to expand enrollment and/or grade range are due on August 1, 2019. The process to consider expansion requests is determined by the Commissioner; there are no statutory requirements.
More information on the charter school application process is available here.
Stay tuned to our #CharterSchools tag for updates.