BOSTON (AP) - Four groups are hoping to open new charter schools in Massachusetts.
The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education said it has received proposals this summer from groups seeking to open the schools in Lynn, Milford and Westfield.
Three existing charter schools in Boston, Saugus and Springfield have also submitted requests to expand their enrollment.
Commissioner Jeffrey Riley will decide by mid-September which of the groups will be invited to submit full proposals for new schools. Those final applications will be due by October 16.
At that point Riley will decide which finalists to recommend to the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education for consideration at their February 2020 meeting.
There are 82 charter schools in Massachusetts serving over 45,000 students, almost 5 percent of all public school students.
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