State nixes Lynn Prep charter bid

Item Staff ReportMALDEN – A state board gave the green light to 16 proposed new charter schools in Massachusetts Monday but singled out the Lynn Preparatory Charter School for rejection.State Education Commissioner Mitchell Chester had recommended approval of 14 Commonwealth charter schools and three Horace Mann charter schools and all except Lynn Prep were approved by the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education.The board voted 6-5 on Monday to reject a charter for Lynn Prep, a proposed Commonwealth Charter school which had been slated to serve more 324 students in grades K-8.The school was proposed by the founders of the Hathaway School, a small, private elementary school in Swampscott, and some concerns had been raised about the distinction between the private and public schools.Chester originally recommended against a charter for the Lynn school because it might violate a prohibition against converting a private school into a charter school. He reversed course and recommended approval after assurances that the private Hathaway school would not close if the charter for the public school was granted.The approved schools are scheduled to open this fall and in 2012 and will be located in Boston, New Bedford, Lawrence, Chelsea, Salem and Springfield.Among the others accepted were the Salem Community Charter School, for 125 students, Grades 9-12 to open this fall and a KIPP Academy Boston Charter School for 588 students, Grades K-8 to open Fall 2012, a sister institution to KIPP Academy in Lynn.”We are humbled and excited to be part of the charter school expansion movement in Boston with such a talented group of schools,” said Josh Zoia, founder and Executive Director of Lynn’s KIPP Academy, in a press release. “It offers us the opportunity to serve more students and families on their path to and through college.”Commonwealth charter schools are fully autonomous and operate independently of the local school district while Horace Mann charter schools are developed and operated in close cooperation with the host school district, and require approval of the local school committee.Gov. Deval Patrick signed legislation last year that lifted a cap on charter schools in the state’s lowest performing districts.There are currently more than 60 charter schools in Massachusetts.(Associated Press and State House News Service material was used in this report.)