SPRINGFIELD -- Charter schools are no longer an experiment in Massachusetts, Gov. Charlie Baker told a crowd in Springfield Tuesday morning. "They've succeeded and I think in many ways have succeeded way beyond anybody's wildest expectations."
Baker spent part of his morning speaking to charter school advocates at the home of Henry Thomas III, the president of the Springfield Urban League, and knocking on doors to speak with residents regarding Question 2.
A "Yes" vote on Question 2 would give Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education the authority to lift the cap in such communities and allow up to 12 new charters or expansions of existing schools to open each year, up to 1 percent of the total statewide public school enrollment each year.
A "No" vote would leave the cap as it stands today.
If passed, the proposed law would take effect Jan. 1, 2017.
Massachusetts legislators voted 23 years ago to allow charters schools to open within the state. Charter schools operate as independent public schools that operate under five-year charters and are typically opened by teachers, school leaders and not-for-profit organizations.
More than two decades after they were introduced into the state education system, Baker told the group of charter school supporters, students and parents that they've been a crucial part of closing achievement gaps.
"Charter schools in Massachusetts are the single intervention of the past 20 years that has eliminated the achievement gap between white students and minority students," Baker said. "Nothing has come close."
The current law allows up to 120 charter schools to operate within Massachusetts, a cap the state is far from hitting.
What charters are currently limited by is in-district caps on charter spending.
No more than 9 percent of a public school district's budget can be reallocated to students who opt into a charter school, 18 percent if the district is considered underperforming by state officials.
Once this budget cap it reached, charters cannot open in the community, or expand their student enrollment figures. This limit has already been reached in several Massachusetts communities, including Boston, Holyoke, Lawrence and Lowell. Springfield and Worcester are close to hitting the in-district limit as well.
Baker believes the majority of voters will mark yes on Question 2 on their ballots next week, allowing for more charters to open in such communities.