The state Board of Education has given the green light for three new charter schools to open in New Hampshire.
Their approval was made possible after the Legislature set aside $3.4 million in the state budget for new charter schools.
The Gate City Charter School for the Arts was one of the schools to get approval from the board at a meeting on Thursday.
The school is planned for Nashua and will offer an arts-focused curriculum, starting with grades K through 4. It will open next fall.
The board’s vote was a long time coming for co-founder Karin Cevasco, who has been working on the idea for nearly two years.
She says there is no shortage of interest.
“And now that we have our authorization, we’re ready to go out and recruit people. Up until now, they’ve been coming to us. Now we’re ready to go out to the community and recruit those families.”
The board also approved the Founders Academy Charter School slated to open January in Londonderry.
Also getting the OK from state officials was the Mountain Village Charter School.
The school will be based in Plymouth and when it opens next fall, will focus on a Montessori education model.
The state Board of Education had placed a moratorium on new charter schools last fall.
But Chairman Tom Raffio said Thursday concerns about lack of funding were addressed with the money set aside in the new two-year budget.
This brings the total number of approved charter schools in the state to 21.
