LAWRENCE — Community Day Charter School is one step closer to having two new locations opening in Lawrence in September 2012.
Massachusetts Education Commissioner Mitchell Chester recommended for approval Community Day's proposals to open two new charter schools in Lawrence. Chester's recommendation will go before the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, which will have the final say at its meeting on Feb. 28.
State education officials received 42 applications for new charter schools this year. Chester gave his recommendation to 14 schools, including Community Day Charter's two new schools.
"We're all absolutely thrilled and eager to get started," said Sheila Balboni, the school's executive director.
The commissioner's recommendation for approval, Balboni said, is acknowledgement that the school, located on Prospect Street, has produced results for its students. Community Day students have performed at very high levels, with 97 percent of its eighth graders scoring proficient or higher in English language arts on the 2010 MCAS tests, and 94 percent scoring proficient or higher in math.
"(The recommendation) is sort of a nod by the department that we are indeed a proven provider and an acknowledgement of the success of our students and our teachers," Balboni said.
Community Day's plan would be to open two additional Lawrence schools in the fall of 2012, eventually expanding to 400 students at each of the two locations by 2019.
With a waiting list of about 1,100 students, Community Day Charter School's expansion will address a growing demand for admission.
Martha Leavitt, a parent of a Community Day third-grade student, said she's been "more than satisfied" with the education her son has received. She's happy to see the school getting the opportunity to expand.
"I think it's a fantastic opportunity for anybody who has child in the Lawrence public school system to get a very personal education in a smaller school," Leavitt said.
State education officials gave a thorough inspection to Community Day Charter School, reviewing five-year audits and making site visits.
"Absolutely nothing was taken for granted really," Balboni said.
The two schools would each open with 120 students in kindergarten through second grade, expanding to 400 students in 2019. The proposed names for the schools are Community Day Charter — South, and Community Day Charter — Riverside, although Balboni said locations were not yet identified and the names could still change.
Potential sites for the schools include the Union Crossing mill complex at Union and Island streets near the Duck Bridge, which is being developed by Lawrence Community Works, as well as an unnamed closed city school.
The Community Group Inc. opened the school with 112 students in 1995 after finding success with the Community Day Care, which has operated in Lawrence since 1969. The charter school had 331 students in 2009-2010 in kindergarten through eighth grade, the same number since 2007.
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