HADLEY — The state’s acting education commissioner is recommending a 100-student increase in the enrollment at the Pioneer Valley Chinese Immersion Charter School, which would allow the school to have as many as 684 K-12 students at its existing 317 Russell St. campus and a second campus on Venture Way.

In advance of Tuesday’s Board of Elementary and Secondary Education meeting, scheduled for 9 a.m. at its Everett headquarters, Acting Commissioner Russell D. Johnston is giving support to the request. If enacted, this would mark the first enrollment increase for the school since it was set at 584 students, coinciding with becoming a full K-12 school in 2013.

Since then, expansion requests in the 400-student range were rejected in both 2015 and 2019.

“The school’s request is reasonable and consistent with the charter school statute and regulations,” Johnston wrote. “Overall, the submitted amendment request, the renewal of the school’s charter in 2022, and the department’s accountability records indicate that the school is an academic success and is faithful to the terms of its charter.”

Johnston’s endorsement, though, comes with three conditions related to governance at the school, including better training for trustees in Open Meeting Law, and one condition related to transportation services, specifically that by Dec. 31, the board of trustees of the Pioneer Valley Chinese Immersion Charter School will submit a plan to implement a cost-effective regional transportation plan that is eligible for state reimbursement.

The board’s meeting will also decide on a request from the Pioneer Valley Performing Arts Charter School in South Hadley to scale back its service area from 50 communities and school districts to just 18 communities and school districts. This would eliminate almost all of Franklin County, as well as Monson, Southwick and Ware, as cities and towns the school serves.

Johnston is recommending that change, which would keep enrollment at the grades 7-12 school at 400.

The expansion appeal from the PVCICS has come in the face of opposition from the Northampton and Amherst councils and school committees, other school committees and educators in the region, and area legislators, all of whom have asked that the expansion request be denied. Much of the concern centers on the impact on school budgets.

Some families at the school itself have also objected to having more students, expressing concerns that the school is not doing enough to meet the demands of special needs students and those students on individualized education plans. Executive Director Richard Alcorn, though, has countered that services are already improved and will continue to be enhanced through a larger enrollment.

Alcorn has also said there are waiting lists at each grade level and similar charter schools have close to 1,000 students, which means PVCICS is at a disadvantage with its smaller enrollment.

Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.