Brockton, Fitchburg Charter School Applicants Seek State Waiver

Groups seeking to open charter schools in Brockton and Fitchburg are asking the state's education commissioner to reverse an earlier ruling and allow their applications to go forward.

The proposed schools initially were cleared to submit final applications but were later told they could not because of a state law that required the school districts they are applying in to be in the lowest 10 percentile of MCAS scores statewide.

The Massachusetts Charter School Association said Friday that the state education board has been asked to grant the Brockton and Fitchburg groups a waiver from the rule.

Without a waiver, it would likely mark the first time in 15 years that no new Commonwealth charter school applications have been approved.

Charter schools are public schools that operate independently from local school districts.

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