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BOSTON, MA – Feb. 2, 2024 – Massachusetts Charter Public School Association (MCPSA) Executive Director Tim Nicolette issued the following statement today.
Today is a hard day for the City on a Hill Charter Public School (CoaH) community. Following discussions with the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), CoaH’s Board has made the difficult decision not to seek renewal of its charter, and will voluntarily close the school at the end of next school year – June 30, 2025.
Our hearts go out to all of the affected students, families, and staff. At MCPSA, we stand by to support the CoaH community in the days ahead, especially as the school works to ensure that all of its current and prospective students have what they need to make informed decisions regarding high quality high school options and next steps.
We believe that in making this decision, the Board has upheld their responsibility, acting in the best interest of children and families. Massachusetts has one of the most stringent charter public school accountability and oversight laws in the country. While extremely difficult, today’s announcement by the CoaH Board is a reminder that the “charter” in “charter public schools” is at its core a commitment to responsibly steward public funds in order to deliver on a promise of academic excellence and opportunity for students and families. In part, this means that when a charter public school in our Commonwealth is unable to meet these commitments, its Board is empowered to put kids and families, not institutions, first.
Leadership means doing the right thing, even when it is not easy. We commend CoaH’s board for leading with a clear commitment to keeping kids and families at the center, even when difficult, and CoaH’s staff for all that they will do to support students and families in the upcoming year and a half as they navigate this transition.
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The Massachusetts Charter Public School Association (MCPSA) is a school membership organization that is committed to ensuring that children and families of the Commonwealth have access to high-quality public schools. As the voice of one of the nation’s highest-performing charter public school sectors, MCPSA engages in public policy advocacy, communications, and best practice sharing and training aimed at strengthening educational programming.
Contact: Dominic Slowey: 781-710-0014; [email protected]
