Regents delay charter vote

The Board of Regents appears to have rescheduled a vote on a controversial new charter school proposal.

Achievement First’s application to open a Mayoral Academy in Cranston for students in both Cranston and Providence has garnered opposition from some parent and teacher groups, who argue it will draw students, and therefore state funding, away from existing public schools.

The regents were expected to vote on the proposal at their meeting this week, but a recently released agenda has the proposal as a discussion item, not an approval item.

A proposal for a nursing-themed charter high school has also been placed on the discussion agenda. The regents will vote on a request to expand – by 11 students – the Blackstone Academy charter school in Pawtucket.