Worth the risk? Raising the cap on charter schools

BOSTON — Expanding the cap on charter schools is a hot button issue on the Massachusetts ballot next Tuesday.

Advocates say charter schools are helping some of our state's most vulnerable students, but as investigative reporter Kerry Kavanaugh found, some charter schools don't help anyone when they suddenly shut down or never even get off the ground.

Massachusetts has granted charter to 108 schools since 1994, about 25 percent of them closed or never opened.

Charter schools have come and gone from communities for a variety of reasons, including Gloucester where Jeana Markowitz's child attended classes at the Gloucester Community Arts Charter.

Under financial strain and poor academic performance, the school closed during winter break in 2012.

Markowitz said she had to scramble to find a new school.

"We were on Christmas break and the date starting getting closer and closer and it never reopened after Christmas," she explained to FOX25.

Despite the sudden closure, Markowitz said she would consider sending her children to another charter school.

"I think it's a great opportunity for kids. Not every child learns the same," said Markowitz.

Nationally, charter schools shut down at a rate of about 3.8 percent each year. FOX25 Investigates asked the state how Massachusetts compares during the last five school years. The numbers of charter schools that have closed in the commonwealth have hovered around average.

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In addition, 10 of Massachusetts' 81 charter schools are operating on probation or under special conditions, totaling to almost 12 percent.

Harvard Professor of Education Heather Hill, has closely studied ballot question two and is concerned about raising the cap.

"We know anytime kids move buildings, their achievement has the potential to suffer," she said.

Question two would raise the charter school cap, allowing the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education to approve up to 12 new charter schools a year.

Hill said her concern with Question two stems from students' success, long after graduation.

"I'm voting no," Hill said. "I think the thing for me the thing is the other issue that comes to this is we don’t have enough evidence that charter schools are doing enough to improving students later life outcomes."

Dawn Faye said she has all the evidence she needs in the progress of her 7-year-old son has made since attending Dorchester's Kipp Academy.

"It was just like winning the lottery," said Faye.

She said in a traditional public school her son's special needs weren't being met.

"I felt like there was a ceiling being placed on the things that he could do," she told FOX25.

Faye said she was grateful for the choice in education her family has.

She's voting yes on Question two to give more students opportunity -- like Markowitz.

"It's a good option for kids who don't necessarily fit in the mainstream school," Markowitz said.

According to the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education there are 32,600 students on waiting lists to attend charter schools in Massachusetts. The majority of them are residents of large urban school districts where the cap has been hit.

Cox Media Group