You may recall that voters in Massachusetts overwhelmingly rejected a ballot referendum to expand charter schools in the state. The vote was 62-38%, with only wealthy districts (which are not targeted for charters) supporting the referendum. The state has not yet reached its “cap” on charters, so new ones are still opening, despite the clear public objection to them. The public understands that every dollar for a charter is taken away from their local public schools.

On Monday night, the State Board of Education rejected a request to double the enrollment of the Pioneer Valley Chinese Immersion Charter School. Last November, the community voted against charter expansion because of the drain on the resources of the public schools.

“HADLEY — After hearing testimony that the Pioneer Valley Chinese Immersion Charter School is draining resources from local school districts and not educating a sufficiently diverse student body, the state’s Board of Elementary and Secondary Education on Monday turned down a proposed expansion to nearly double its enrollment.

“In a voice vote about four hours into its meeting in Malden, the board denied a 452-student enrollment increase at the charter school recommended by Mitchell D. Chester, the commissioner of elementary and secondary education. Chester called the decade-old school an “exemplar” of what the charter-school movement is about.

“But Michael Morris, acting superintendent for the Amherst-Pelham Regional School District, told the board that adding students would be transferring funds from schools where underserved students are educated to one attended by more privileged children. Amherst, Morris said, is already sending $2.24 million from the school and town budgets to the charter school.

“Morris also presented statistics showing that the demographics indicate the charter school is not meeting its mission, with PVCICS having fewer low-income students and English language learners than Amherst schools, and special education children often returning to Amherst after being enrolled in the Hadley school.”

Barbara Madeline, president of the Massachusetts Teachers Association, said that the school should be investigated for its failure to meet the needs of students with disabilities.