HADLEY — State education officials are requiring the Pioneer Valley Chinese Immersion Charter School to demonstrate stronger oversight by its board of trustees, replacing three conditions the school had already satisfied with a new governance requirement.

The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education voted 7-3 on June 23 to remove the three conditions it imposed when approving a 100-student enrollment increase in February 2025 and replace them with a requirement that trustees demonstrate governance consistent with state charter school standards.

Commissioner Pedro Martinez told the board that replacing the current conditions and having a new condition is “designed to support” school leaders and ensure “continued improvement and accountability.”

Martinez said he remains concerned about governance at the school. Having conditions at the commissioner level gives him the ability to regularly follow up on his own and with his team.

He was also clear that the K-12 school, located at 317 Russell St. and with a satellite campus expected to open on Venture Way, can now enroll up to 684 students. The new condition comes as a renewal application is due this summer, with a renewal inspection in the fall and then a commissioner review.

“Our intention is not to undermine or trying to hurt their chances at renewal, it’s just to make sure we have accountability,” Martinez said.

In fact, Martinez said the goal is to have the school achieve renewal, but hold the school leadership accountable and call out any governance challenges.

In a memo sent to the state board, Martinez wrote: “The school has substantially met all three of the conditions imposed by the board. The board of trustees (PVCICS board) evaluated its capacity and expertise, participated in training related to its role and responsibilities and Open Meeting Law, and submitted a plan for regional transportation.”

The votes against came from commissioners concerned that the school hadn’t met the previous conditions, with most of the questions specific to developing a transportation plan that could be implemented and seek state regional transportation funding.

But Alyssa Hopkins, a school development manager for DESE’s Charter Schools and School Redesign office, said that the school wasn’t obligated to pursue assistance from the state to offer more students transportation.

“The board completed those required actions and therefore satisfied or sufficiently met those conditions,” Hopkins said. “However, completion of the required activities is different from demonstrating sustained improvement in governance practices.”

The purpose of the original condition, Hopkins said, was to require trustees and staff to perform a transparent and public process related to discussion of transportation that would be eligible for reimbursement from the state.

The trustees developed a plan, but didn’t implement it after discussions at the October and December meetings.

Martinez notes the school’s growth plan is already well underway, with student enrollment expected to be 647 students for the 2026-2027 school year, reaching the maximum enrollment in the 2028-2029 school year.

The approval of the school expansion came despite significant opposition from municipal boards and committees across the region, and from local legislators.

Though three commissioners questioned whether the previous conditions had been met, Martinez said PVCICS is a school with strong academics and remains popular, and disputed that the transportation condition hadn’t been achieved.

“They did technically meet it because they discussed it prior to December (2025),” Martinez said. “But there’s still more work to do.”