BATH
Seven groups — including one led by a Bath couple — are hoping to open charter schools in the state next fall, the Maine Charter School Commission said Thursday.
The commission said it recently received initial proposals for seven charter schools, including one in Portland, Lewiston-Auburn and two statewide virtual charter schools.
Applications to the commission are due in December.
The groups will compete for five remaining charter school spots.
Under Maine’s charter school law, which Republican Gov. Paul LePage signed in 2011, the commission can only approve 10 charter schools through 2022. Two charter schools opened in Maine last year and three more began classes this week — including, locally, Harpswell Coastal Academy.
Among the new charter school proposals is Adventures in Learning Career Academies in Portland, which would begin with sixth-grade students and eventually expand through 12th grade.
Another proposal is for Birches Montessori School in central Maine — a kindergarten through-sixth-grade school for hard-of-hearing and deaf students. The contact persons for this proposal are Christy and Matthew Callahan of Bath.
Charter schools are public schools that operate independently of local school districts, offering alternative school choices for students. They are run by private groups that agree to meet certain standards in exchange for less regulation.
LePage, a strong supporter of charter schools, has said he would like to see many more in Maine. But his effort last session to lift the cap on the number of charter schools failed as several critics say they divert resources and funding away from traditional public schools.
The two virtual academies have applied twice before. The charter commission has revised its requirements for virtual applicants, developing criteria specific to virtual schools.
Applications are due to the commission on Dec. 2. The commission will have a final vote by March 4, 2014, on those applicants still in the running.
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