School Choice and Charter Schools

School Choice and Charter Schools Press Releases

2003

• 09-18-2003; Governor Mitt Romney announces $6 million charter school grant
• 10-16-2003; Healey awards charters to five new charter schools

2004

• 01-23-2004; Governor Mitt Romney; Healey propose lifting charter school cap
• 05-05-2004; Governor Mitt Romney vows charter school moratorium veto
• 06-23-2004; Governor Mitt Romney to veto charter school moratorium

2005

• 05-05-2005; Governor Mitt Romney celebrates decade of charter school success

2006

• 05-03-2006; Governor Mitt Romney grants charters to three new public schools

Mitt Romney believes in school choice.

Reasons to agree:

1. "That is why Governor Romney and I support the choice that parents have made to give their children a charter school education. Charter schools are an excellent alternative for parents who are seeking more options for their child's education."

Books to Read

1. De-Schooling Society by Ivan Illitch

Websites

1. http://fornits.com/gatto/

The legislature passed a one-year moratorium on charter school approval as part of its Fiscal Year 2005 budget. In June 2004, Governor Mitt Romney vetoed the legislation.27 In his veto message, Governor Romney wrote, "I am vetoing this section because charter schools provide meaningful educational choices and should not be limited…. It is fundamentally unfair to penalize hundreds of students already enrolled in the schools named in this section while these issues are being resolved."28 The House of Representatives failed to override the veto on a 77-78 vote. 29

On April 1, 2004, the Federal District Court in Boston ruled for the defendants in Boyette v. Galvin challenging the state's Blaine and Religious Exclusion amendments. The Becket Fund appealed.30 Because of a change in plaintiffs, the case has a new name. Michael Wirzburger, et al., vs. William F. Galvin, Secretary of State, et al. is now in the First Circuit Court of Appeals.31

27 Massachusetts Office of the Governor, "Romney Signs $22.402B Fiscal Year 2005 'No New Tax' Budget," Press Release, June 25, 2004, at www.mass.gov/portal/govPR.jsp?gov_pr=gov_pr_040625_signing_05_budget.xml.

28 Massachusetts General Court Website, "Veto Items: Fiscal Year 2005 General Appropriations Act: Attachment B," at www.mass.gov/legis/05budget/govvetoesoutside.htm#312.

29 Kevin Rothstein, "Charter School Moratorium Fails to Survive Gov's Veto," Boston Herald, July 21, 2004, at http://news.bostonherald.com/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=36496.

30 George Clowes, "Challenge Continues to Mass. Blaine Amendment," School Reform News, November 2004.

31 Phone conversation with Megan Anderson, The Beckett Fund, September 2, 2004.