HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 2783        FILED ON: 1/14/2009

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 516

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the Year Two Thousand Nine

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An Act establishing a moratorium for commonwealth charter schools..

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

SECTION 1.   Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, the authority of the board of education to grant commonwealth charters to an applicant pursuant to section 89 of chapter 71 of the General Laws shall be suspended until the following matters have been considered and are the subject of a report by a special commission created by this act.  Among the matters for consideration and recommendation by said commission are the following: that objective research is completed to study the effectiveness of innovative learning strategies of the commonwealth charter schools; objective research is completed to assess student learning and achievement levels to measure the progress of comparable student cohorts in charter and non charter public schools; an objective analysis is completed to determine the enrollment and services provided to students with special educational needs as defined by General Laws chapter 71B, or students who are not proficient in the English language pursuant to General Laws chapter 71A, or students who receive free or reduced price lunch pursuant to federal law, and an objective study is completed to determine whether the tuition formula F.Y. 2005 budgetary amendment was adequate to meet the needs of local school districts.

There shall be a special study commission to review the above referenced data and to file any legislation that may be necessary to implement the commission’s recommendations. The first meeting of the commission shall take place within 30 days after the effective date of this act. The commission shall consist of the house and senate chairs of the committee on ways and means or their designees, the house and senate chairs of the joint committee on education, arts and humanities or their designees, and one representative selected by each of the following: Massachusetts Association of School Committees, Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents, Massachusetts Teachers Association and the American Federation of Teachers – Massachusetts.