Jul 16, 2009 1:28 pm US/Eastern
Governor Patrick Wants More Charter Schools
BOSTON (WBZ) ―
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Sturgis Charter Public School in Hyannis was ranked among the top public high schools in the nation in June 2009.
CBS
Gov. Deval Patrick wants to more than triple the number of charter school seats in the state's worst-performing districts.
A proposal released Thursday would increase the number of charter seats in the lowest scoring districts from 10,000 to more than 37,000.
The bill also requires charter school operators to work to recruit students who are poor, English language learners, at risk of dropping out or who receive special education.
The proposal comes as President Obama is threatening to withhold millions in federal stimulus dollars from states that hinder charter school growth.
Patrick has been skeptical of charter school expansion in the past.
Charter advocates say the schools foster innovation, but critics say they siphon off resources from local school districts.
Three Massachusetts charter schools were ranked last month among the
top 100 high schools in the nation by Newsweek. Sturgis Charter Public School in Hyannis was ranked 27th. The MATCH Charter Public School in Boston was 84th and the Mystic Valley Regional Charter School in Malden was 93rd.
No public schools in the state made Newsweek's list.
(© 2010 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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