HADLEY — Pioneer Valley Chinese Immersion Charter School’s enrollment can increase by 100 students after the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education Tuesday narrowly supported acting Commissioner Russell D. Johnston’s recommendation allowing the K-12 school to have up to 684 students.

In approving the enrollment increase by a 6-4 vote, the board also set several conditions as part of the school’s charter amendment, including requiring that the PVCICS board of trustees engage in a comprehensive self-evaluation of its capacity and expertise; that the board of trustees engage in training, conducted by an external consultant, on the roles and responsibilities of a board of trustees of a charter school; and that the board of trustees submit a plan to implement a cost-effective regional transportation plan eligible for state reimbursement.

In a separate 8-2 vote, the board agreed to reduce the size of the district encompassed by the Pioneer Valley Performing Arts Charter School in South Hadley from 35 communities to 18 communities, while maintaining enrollment at 400 students. Most of Franklin County will no longer be considered part of the service territory for that school.

Johnston said there was sufficient evidence of demand at PVCICS, even as concerns were expressed by families about governance and equitable access, which he said could be addressed through  the conditions set as part of the enrollment increase. Johnston said his recommendation was shaped by public comment and that the increase request met criteria as described in state statute and regulations for a multiyear approach to expansion.

Expansion requests in the 400-student range at PVCICS were rejected in both 2015 and 2019.

Johnston added that the impact on the sending school districts is not a consideration in state law or regulations, in response to school and town leaders in Northampton and Amherst that urged the board to reject the expansion request.

Johnston said his recommendation was a response to families who want more options for their students.

While there was some opposition on the board, Michael Moriarty of Holyoke said the dual language practice at PVCICS should be rewarded.

“They have been a strong leader in delivering dual language in Massachusetts,” Moriarty said.

Following the vote, Executive Director Richard Alcorn expressed gratitude for the approval, the support the school received and the staff of the state’s Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, Office of Charter Schools and School Redesign for the work done in reviewing the charter amendment request.

Alcorn said he expects the school to be permitted a modest increase in the number of seats for fall 2025, with planning for a second site to be ready for students in the fall. The school last summer bought a second property on Venture Way in Hadley, where it can expand beyond its current site on Route 9.

PVCICS Principal Kathleen Wang, who is also the parent of two alumni, told the board that families at the school are very engaged, despite living in 39 area communities, and agreed that improving transportation is essential to equity. The expansion, she said, would allow the school to enroll full cohorts in kindergarten, sixth grade and ninth grade.

“One hundred more students for us would mean 100 fewer on our wait list, and additional resources would be needed to solidify our high school,” Wang said.

Hsinpei Lee Normand, a parent and teacher representative for the PVCICS trustees, said 70 teachers were among 100 staff supporting the increase in enrollment.

Over 15 years, Normand said, the school has developed literacy proficiency in Mandarin Chinese and in English and the school has a proven record of success and strong partnership with the community.

“It is a small expansion, but will have a big impact on our school,” Normand said.

Michael Klein, parent of a junior at PVCICS, said issues of governance and oversight have been concerns for families. He said the hope is that the conditions set through the vote will ensure better leadership and oversight at the school.

Opposition

The strongest critic of the expansion on Tuesday was state Rep. Lindsay Sabadosa, D-Northampton, the only local legislator present for the hearing at the board’s Everett headquarters, who said the state is failing to educate the most vulnerable.

“This all comes amidst multitude of crises in western Massachusetts,” Sabadosa said.

Low and declining enrollment as the region’s population ages will mean more closures of schools, possibly in Hatfield, Goshen, Williamsburg and Chesterfield, she said.

“I ask that you think about all schools, because every single child in my district deserves quality education, not just those who get into a charter school,” Sabadosa said.

“There is no birth rate to support another 100 kids coming down the pipeline to fill these seats,” Sabadosa said.

State Rep. Mindy Domb, D-Amherst, submitted a letter to the board, signed by herself and eight colleagues, including Sabadosa, Sen. Jo Comerford, D-Northampton, Sen. Jacob Oliveira, D-Ludlow, Sen. John Velis, D-Westfield, Rep. Homar Gomez, D-Easthampton, Rep. Natale Blais, D-Deerfield, Rep. Patricia Duffy, D-Holyoke, Rep. Aaron Saunders, D-Ludlow, critical of the expansion request at PVCICS: “We remain deeply concerned this application continues to ignore previous departmental requests for information to justify its approval. Moreover, we believe that if granted, the expansion will rob our districts of badly needed funds they need to continue to fulfill their responsibility to educate all children.”

Domb was also disappointed that virtual participation at the meeting wasn’t allowed.

“I want to share my concern that this practice disadvantages individuals from my district and other communities in western Massachusetts from participating in real time in public hearings/meetings. I believe the board has the capacity to host hybrid participation and it is frustrating and disheartening that it chooses to deny its use. I am concerned that this practice, if left unchanged, undermines the participation of the public on matters of great concern and, in doing so, it undermines the civic engagement prioritized and promoted by this administration and our commonwealth.”

Jared Freedman, chief of staff for Comerford, read her comments into the record strongly opposing expansion and asking to reject the 100-seat expansion at PVCICS and the change in service area for PVPA.

“Taken together, these two decisions will be nothing short of a crushing gut punch for Amherst, Hadley, Hatfield and Northampton, which collectively send multiple millions of dollars each year to area charter schools, while districts struggle mightily with educator cuts and reduced school offerings,” Freedman said.

The Massachusetts Teachers Association also weighed in on the expansion requests for charter schools across the state, including PVCICS.

“Privately run, publicly funded charter schools remain a scam that hurts the vast majority of students who attend community-governed public schools. Charter schools are not open to all students, and they siphon millions of dollars from the districts they draw students from, undermining the schools that educate every student who enters them. In addition, the communities losing education funding to charter schools have no say in their operations.”

“This is fundamentally undemocratic and unfair.”

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