Might be no new charters?

Last week as we went to press, a brouhaha broke out as the Globe reported that according to the state Department of Education there might not be any new charter schools this year. Both major candidates for governor quickly decried the DOE decision, which was made in accordance with the law. The charter school folks quickly appealed the decision and began rallying their troops to attend this morning’s Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) meeting, and we await developments.

At the BESE meeting this morning, the agenda includes a presentation by people supporting our attempt to keep the Dearborn a Boston Public School. According to State Commissioner Mitchell Chester, that decision will be made by the end of next week.

In weekend gubernatorial-endorsement maneuverings, the AFT-MA decided to endorse Ms. Coakley though many had deep reservations. An earlier move to endorse her had been tabled. In response to the concerns voiced at the AFT-MA meeting, Ms. Coakley released a statement found here. The MTA sent out a memo to its members expressing disappointment in Ms. Coakley’s condemnation of the decision not to expand charters. A later report in the Globe said that while the MTA wasn’t thrilled with Coakley, it wouldn’t be pulling its endorsement of her.

Long story short, while both statewide teacher organizations are less than happy with Ms. Coakley’s positions, both the MTA and the AFT-MA have endorsed her as the better of the two candidates.