Worcester Sen. Backs Charter School Reform After BESE Board Vote

WORCESTER, MA — A new charter school approved by a state board Tuesday could someday extract as much as $7 million per year from Worcester Public Schools, according to estimates by the district's chief financial officer.

That amount is more than half what Worcester expects to receive from the Student Opportunity Act, a new state funding program designed to help districts across the state learning gaps.

"With the phase-in of the Student Opportunity Act funds, we should be adding teachers, school adjustment counselors and school psychologists and spending more on facilities maintenance, staff development, and instructional supplies and materials — not direct funds a way to a new charter school where there is no added benefit to parents or students in the city," Worcester Public Schools CFO Brian Allen said in testimony opposing the Worcester Cultural Academy charter school.

A new bill proposed in the state Senate would make the financial impacts of charter schools on local districts more prominent — both during the application phase, and if charter schools receive state approval.

State Sen. Patricia Jehlen (D-Somerville) reintroduced SD 942 during in the 2023-24 legislative session. After the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) voted 7 to 4 Tuesday to approve the Worcester Cultural Academy's charter, state Sen. Robyn Kennedy (D-Worcester) signed to support the bill.

The bill would require proposed charter schools to estimate the estimated financial impact on the local district in their applications; require state education officials to report on the financial impacts prior to BESE approval; and require the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to seek approval from the Legislature to fund new or expanding charter schools.

"In my testimony opposing the Worcester Cultural Academy, I said that it's clear that the laws governing the implementation of charter schools need to change," Kennedy said this week. "Our public schools are not revenue streams for private institutions."

Kennedy was referring to the Worcester Cultural Academy's link to its sponsor, Old Sturbridge Village. The CEO of the Sturbridge museum has said the new charter school could be a stable source of revenue for the institution — an issue state Auditor Diana DiZoglio has agreed to examine.

According to documents submitted to the state, Old Sturbridge Village would get a fee equal to 7 percent of per-pupil tuition, which the museum would use to pay for services like human resources and executive leadership for the school.

Under state law, charter schools are funded by tuition charges assessed against the school districts where the schools are located. In the current fiscal year, Worcester Public Schools was assessed about $33.5 million for charter tuition reimbursement, with about $6.3 million reimbursed by the state. There are two charter schools in the city: Abby Kelley Foster and Learning First.

The Worcester Cultural Academy is planning to open this fall with about 360 elementary-level students. The school will be located in a former Catholic school along Plantation Street — a location that was part of broader opposition to the school.