Maine Commission Approves Contracts for State's First Charter Schools

The Maine Charter School Commission has approved contracts for two charter schools to open for the fall of 2012, and approval of a third contract is pending.

The Commission has approved charter contracts for the Maine Academy of Natural Sciences in Hinckley and the Cornville Regional Charter School. A charter contract is pending for the Baxter Academy of Technology and Science, which has been given conditional approval to open in Portland for the 2013-14 school year.

In September 2011, Maine became the 41st. state with a charter school law.

The law allows the commission to approve 10 charters statewide over 10 years. The law also allows school district boards to authorize charter schools. But, as of early August 2012, no district had shown interest in doing so, according to the section of the state education department’s website where the information is to be posted.