Teachers’ unions ask lawmakers to leave charter caps to voters

BOSTON – Some of the state's largest teachers' unions, allied with community groups that back their opposition to increasing the number of charter schools in Massachusetts, have asked lawmakers to set aside pending compromise measures and let the fight be decided at the ballot box next year.

Should they retain current limits on charter schools, lawmakers will likely toss the question to voters, as an advocacy group that favors an expansion of the publicly funded, privately run schools is pursuing plans for a ballot initiative to raise the caps. In an Oct. 27 letter to legislators signed by 22 groups, including the American Federation of Teachers' Massachusetts branch and the Massachusetts Teachers Association, the Massachusetts Education Justice Alliance acknowledges that risk.