This is the third in a series looking at the ballot questions to be decided by voters next month.

Published in the October 18, 2016 edition.

By MARK SARDELLA

One of the four ballot questions facing voters in the Nov. 8 election seeks to lift the cap on the number of charter schools allowed in the state.

If approved, the changes to the law proposed under Question 2 would allow the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education to approve up to 12 new charter schools or enrollment expansions in existing charter schools each year. Approvals under this law could expand statewide charter school enrollment by up to 1 percent of the total statewide public school enrollment each year. New charters and enrollment expansions approved under this law would be exempt from existing limits on the number of charter schools, the number of students enrolled in them and the amount of local school districts’ spending allocated to them.

If the Board of Education received more than 12 applications in a single year from qualified applicants, then the proposed law would require it to give priority to proposed charter schools or enrollment expansions in districts where student performance on statewide assessments is in the bottom 25 percent of all districts in the previous two years and where demonstrated parent demand for additional public school options is greatest.

New charter schools and enrollment expansions approved under this proposed law would be subject to the same approval standards as other charter schools and to recruitment, retention and multilingual outreach requirements that currently apply to some charter schools. Schools authorized under this law would be subject to annual performance reviews according to standards established by the Board.

The proposed law would take effect on January 1, 2017.

Proponents of a “Yes” vote on Question 2 maintain that it will give parents the right to choose the best public schools for their children. They point out that charter schools are public schools open to all children. Proponents argue that by offering longer school days and more individual attention, charters have a record of closing the achievement gap for children trapped in failing public schools.

They say that due to the legislature’s arbitrary cap on charter school enrollment, almost 33,000 students are on charter school waiting lists. A “Yes” vote on Question 2, they add, would give more of those kids a chance to attend charter schools, especially in the state’s lowest performing school districts.

Proponents insist that a “Yes” vote would not hurt existing local school districts. They say that cities and towns with new charter schools will get more funding if Question 2 passes. They maintain that growth of charter schools would happen gradually and that charters must be approved by the state Board of Education and are subject to frequent, rigorous performance reviews.

Opponents of Question 2 insist that every time a new charter school opens or expands, it takes money away from public schools in the district. They say that this year alone, charters will take more than $400 million from already underfunded public schools. They further point out that, unlike traditional public schools, charters are not responsible to the local taxpayers who fund them.

If Question 2 passes, opponents argue, the number of charter schools in Massachusetts would nearly triple in 10 years, costing local public school districts more than $1 billion a year.

They maintain that if some public schools are failing, those problems should be addressed rather than taking money away from them to give to privately run charter schools. They insist that schools that serve all children must be supported and argue that public schools accept all students, including those with special needs, while charters do not.

Opponents of Question 2 call for more investment in STEM curriculum (science, technology, engineering and math), arts, music and pre-K in traditional public schools, rather than diverting more funds to charters, which educate only a small percentage of students.

A “Yes” vote would allow for up to 12 approvals each year of either new charter schools or expanded enrollments in existing charter schools, but not to exceed 1 percent of the statewide public school enrollment.

A “No” vote would make no change in current laws relative to charter schools.