HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 2987        FILED ON: 1/16/2015

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 321

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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PRESENTED BY:

Paul Brodeur

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To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:

The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:

An Act relative to charter school admissions.

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PETITION OF:

HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 2987        FILED ON: 1/16/2015

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 321

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the One Hundred and Eighty-Ninth General Court
(2015-2016)

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An Act relative to charter school admissions.

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: Subsection (n) of said section 89 of said Chapter 71 is hereby amended by striking the second paragraph and inserting in its place the following paragraph:-

For the purpose of this subsection, an eligible student is defined any student who would be eligible to attend the charter school under the district’s assignment policy if it were a district school.  Said student shall be deemed eligible for enrollment in said charter school without any required application process for the school. If the total number of students who are eligible to attend a charter school and who reside in the city or town in which the charter school is located or are siblings of students already attending said charter school, is greater than the number of spaces available, an opt-out admissions lottery that automatically includes the names of all eligible students shall be held to fill all of the spaces in that school from among the students.  If there are more spaces available than eligible students from the city or town in which the charter school is located and who are siblings of current students than spaces left available, an opt-out admissions lottery that automatically includes the names of all eligible students shall be held to determine which eligible students shall be admitted; provided, however, that a lottery conducted for Horace Mann charter schools shall reflect the enrollment priorities of this section.  Notwithstanding this subsection, upon application by the board of trustees of a charter school or by the persons or entities seeking to establish a charter school, the board may amend or grant a charter designating such school a regional charter school; provided, however, that such regional charter school shall be exempt from the local preference provision of this paragraph; provided further, that such regional charter school shall continue to grant a preference of siblings of currently enrolled students; and provided further, that if the number of eligible students remaining is greater than the number of spaces available, such regional charter school shall conduct a single opt-out lottery to determine which eligible students shall be admitted.