Massachusetts State Profile of Charter Schools

Last updated: 10-02-2008
  (Send USCS staff a comment about this page.)

State-Specific Primer

Massachusetts_Primer.zip The Massachusetts Primer on Special Education in Charter Schools is divided into three parts: 1) General Information covering laws and legal issues; 2) Information for State Officials and Others including for background information on charter schools and issues related to special education in charter schools such as finance, authorization, transportation, enrollment and other issues; and, 3) Information for Charter Operators on the basics of operating a charter school as they pertain to special education.

Overview

Year Law Passed	# of Charter Schools	# of Students Enrolled
1993	61	25,034

Statewide Support Organizations Massachusetts Center for Charter Public School Excellence Massachusetts Charter Public School Association (MCPSA) Massachusetts Department of Education Legislative Summary Law:   Massachusetts General Law: Charter Schools Massachusetts Regulations on Charter Schools Amendment(s):   Amendments to Charter School Regulations voted by the Board of Education on June 24, 2003. Authorizers:   For Commonwealth charter schools, the state board of education. For Horace Mann charter schools, local school board, local teachers union and state board of education. Length of charter:   5 years Caps on number of schools:   Yes. 120 total. 48 for Horace Mann charter schools, 72 for Commonwealth charter schools. Commonwealth charter schools may not serve more than 4 percent of statewide public school population. Funding:   Commonwealth charters receive funding from each student's sending district. Horace Mann charters receive an agreed-upon budget allocation from their school board. Charter School Finance