Lynn Leaders and Educators Urge State Board to Vote Down Charter School Expansion (February 19, 2025)
Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Circumventing Laws Governing Expansion to Push KIPP Academy Lynn Proposal Forward
The next meeting of the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) will include a vote on a controversial request to expand from KIPP Academy Lynn Charter School.
Below is a joint statement from Lynn Mayor Jared Nicholson, Lynn Public Schools Superintendent Evonne S. Alvarez, Ed.D., and Lynn Teachers Union President Sheila O’Neil in response to learning the Acting Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education was moving the proposal forward for a vote:
“The shocking decision of the Department to move the KIPP Academy Lynn Charter School’s expansion plan forward to the Board for a vote completely disregards the very clear, long-standing state regulations governing charter school expansion.
“Not only will this have grave implications for our students, families, and schools in Lynn, it sets a very dangerous precedent going forward.
“In order for their plan to be considered, KIPP Academy must meet the threshold of a proven provider with proficiency rates similar to state averages for a three year period, across all grades. According to the Department’s own data, KIPP not only does not meet these requirements, proficiency among KIPP students is significantly lower than state averages, especially in English Language Arts and Science.
“Proven providers are also required to show they’ve been successful at serving the academic needs of the community they’re operating in. KIPP Academy Lynn – once again – fails to pass the test.
“Other expansion plans that did not meet these requirements are not moving to the Board for a vote. So, the question now is: ‘Why Lynn?’
“Under no circumstances should the state be able to pick and choose when and where it applies regulations established by law.
“We urge the members of the Board to follow the very clear laws they are required to adhere to in allowing a charter school to expand and vote down KIPP Academy’s proposal.”
BACKGROUND
Mayor Nicholson, Superintendent Alvarez, and President O’Neil have presented a united front in opposition to KIPP Academy Lynn’s expansion proposal from the beginning.
The three testified in opposition to the proposal at BESE’s November meeting and sent a letter to Acting Commissioner Johnston clearly laying out their opposition on grounds that KIPP Academy Lynn does not meet the threshold as a proven provider in terms of proficiency levels.
The regulations stipulate: The applicant must submit evidence, satisfactory to the Commissioner, to demonstrate a significant management or leadership role at a school or similar program that is an academic success, a viable organization, and relevant to the proposed charter school.
The regulations then define academic success, in part, as: Proficiency levels and growth measures on the Massachusetts comprehensive assessment system or equivalent assessments for all students and for one or more targeted subgroups as defined in M.G.L. c. 71, § 89(i)(3), which are similar to statewide averages in English Language Arts and mathematics for all students in Massachusetts in comparable grades, over no less than a three-year period for cohorts of students.
A breakdown of DESE’s own data shows that KIPP Academy Lynn’s proficiency levels are - in no way - at or exceeding statewide averages.
Nor does KIPP Academy Lynn’s student body reflect the population served by Lynn Public Schools (LPS), another requirement to be considered a proven provider. LPS is the second highest receiver of English-language learner (ELL) students in the state - only behind Boston. ELL students account for 43.3 percent of Lynn Public School students – compared to KIPP Academy’s dismal 15.1 percent. 19 percent of LPS students receive special education services, compared to 10 percent of KIPP Academy.
LPS already lose $30 million a year to charter schools. If allowed, LPS would lose an additional $8 million per year and would, undoubtedly, face cuts to core academic and social services provided to all students in Lynn, especially low-income, high-needs, special education students, and ELL students.
The expansion request comes at a precarious time for many public schools, including Lynn’s, which are working hard to make up ground lost as one of the cities hit hardest by the COVID-19 pandemic. It would also undermine the intended impact of the Student Act Opportunity Act — enacted in 2019 to address inequities in school finance and increase funding for communities like Lynn.