Charter and District Transportation Schedules: Commonwealth Charters Get Preferential Treatment

Why Has There Been No Pushback From Our Leaders?

The Massachusetts charter school statute, M.G.L. c. 71, § 89(cc), states that the:

…children who reside in the school district in which the charter school is located shall be provided transportation to the charter school by the resident district’s school committee on the same terms and conditions as transportation is provided to children attending local district schools. In providing such transportation, said school committee shall accommodate the particular school day and school year of the charter school; provided, however, that in the event that a school committee limits transportation for district school students, the school district shall not be required to provide transportation to any commonwealth charter school beyond said limitations. A charter school and the sending district shall meet to plan bus routes and charter school starting and ending times in order to assist the district with cost effective means of transportation…

The state technical advisory elaborates on the phrase, “Accommodate the particular school year and school day of the charter school.” Here’s where the preferential treatment comes in:

The schedule of a charter school is a material term of the schools charter as granted by the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (Board). A charter school can change this term only by requesting, and receiving approval for, an amendment from the Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education (Commissioner). Schedules of charter schools may deviate significantly, including early dismissals and extended programming, from that of the districts in which they are located. Nevertheless, the law requires that the school district make arrangements to accommodate the charter school’s schedule, even if that requires scheduling additional bus runs at times when the district normally does not pick-up or drop-off students. The charter school statute requires, and Department strongly encourages, charter schools to work cooperatively with their local school districts. If a change in a school’s schedule as described is desired, the charter school should consider requesting an amendment, as appropriate, to its charter in order to achieve the most cost-efficient transportation, particularly when transporting small numbers of students. [emphasis added]

Citation from DOE.

The Extended Learning Time Task Force, composed of BTU members, administration, and a parent, has written a letter to the superintendent and the mayor seeking an in-depth review of some of the unresolved issues concerning Schedule A schools, including the issue cited above:

• Inequitable treatment of district and Commonwealth Charters when it comes to obtaining desirable start and end times
• Omission of snack time at some Schedule A schools
• Late-arriving buses
• Lack of transparency in the planning process

Read the full letter.