Press Release: Progress Together Reacts to Today's Charter Recommendation...

With Charter Battle Over, Somerville Looks Forward

Somerville, MA – Progress Together for Somerville is pleased with Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Commissioner Mitchell Chester’s decision to not recommend the Somerville Progressive Charter School for approval. We thank the DESE and the Commissioner for their careful consideration of this important matter. This decision will allow Somerville to focus its energy on improving our schools and providing innovative learning opportunities for all Somerville students. We believe that Somerville can be a model for what a dynamic, diverse, urban school district should look like and as a community we are committed to working with (and, if necessary, pressing) the City and the School District to make that a reality.

The events initiated by the Somerville Progressive Charter School application have demonstrated a passion for quality education across the city and, though we disagreed with the specific approach presented by the SPCS application, we applaud the applicants’ effort and believe that this has helped to energize the community around our schools. Progress Together for Somerville looks forward to working with anyone and everyone who is interested in improving our public schools and we invite those who proposed the SPCS to join us in this effort.

Good schools are almost always associated with parent involvement and we urge parents and community
members to get involved:

• Join Progress Together for Somerville: Send an email to progresstogethersomerville@gmail.com or visit www.pt4s.org.
• Attend the Community Education Forum in on March 18 (details will be provided on www.pt4s.org as soon as they are finalized).
• Join your PTA, School Improvement Council, and/or get involved with your local school.

Progress Together for Somerville is an independent, grass-roots organization of parents that advocates
for exceptional public education for all students in Somerville.

FOR MEDIA INQUIRIES CONTACT: Michael Chiu, Progress Together for Somerville
(617-501-4714; michael.a.chiu@gmail.com)