Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Parents, educators and researchers urge changes to charter reimbursement and cap at Massachusetts hearing
Summary
Parents, educators and academics told a legislative committee that current charter reimbursement rates and the state's charter-cap policies leave districts short of funding; witnesses offered local cost estimates and academic evidence both for charter benefits and for requiring fiscal accountability when approving new charters or expansions.
Speakers at a Massachusetts legislative committee hearing urged changes to how the state reimburses districts for students who leave for charter schools and called for stronger fiscal review of charter expansions.
The testimony centered on bills before the committee that would change charter reimbursement schedules and limit or better account for charter expansions. Parents, local educators and academic researchers described lost local revenue, the distributional effects on district programs and evidence on charter school performance.
"Open enrollment can be a really important tool for creating more access to, equity and opportunity," said Dr. Kara Burke Powers, a Worcester parent and Massachusetts state director for Brown's Promise, adding that Worcester has entered the bottom 10 percent on the MCAS and is losing funds to new charter seats. "I hope that folks will…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
