The Connecticut State Department of Education has issued a request for proposals for new state and local charter schools ”“ the first time in nearly three years since it last requested such applications. Applications must be received between July 1 and Aug. 15 of next year. The state Board of Education will decide whether to approve each application within 90 days of receipt.
In a Dec. 27 statement announcing the opening of the application period, state Education Commissioner Dianna Wentzell said, “Our goal is for all public school opportunities in Connecticut to be high-quality options for families, and we work to support charters, magnet schools and traditional public schools to continuously improve the quality education they provide. In Connecticut, charters are located in the communities that serve the highest need families and provide high quality choices for students and families. They play an important role in offering a diverse array of high-quality public school choices for families in our state.”
As it now stands, there are nearly 9,100 students attending the state”™s 24 charter schools, including six in Bridgeport, two in Stamford and one in South Norwalk.
When the Education Department last sought charter proposals in September 2013, it approved and funded four of eight applications. In 2012, three of seven applications were approved, while in 2011 none of the seven applications received were approved.
