WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools applauds the Labor Health and Human Services, Education Senate Appropriations Subcommittee for its leadership. The $10 million proposed increase to the federal Charter Schools Program (CSP) sends a strong signal about the importance of this funding stream, which is the nation’s only source of dedicated federal funding for the creation and replication of public charter schools. Since its inception in 1995, the CSP has supported the growth and replication of these innovative public schools that provide a high-quality education to students in nearly every state.
“The National Alliance for Public Charter Schools is deeply grateful to Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Richard Shelby (R-AL) and Labor HHS Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Roy Blunt (R-MO), for their continued commitment to ensuring more students have access to charter schools. Chairman Blunt’s strong advocacy for high-quality public schools is reflected in this proposal, which recognizes the need to continue opening and expanding charter schools, especially given the high-quality public school options parents are desperately seeking in light of COVID-19.
According to the U.S. Department of Education, data shows that between school years 2006-07 and 2016-17, the CSP funded nearly 45% of operational charter schools serving 1.3 million students. The CSP is a federal program that nearly five million families are counting on to seed new charter schools for their children to attend. We thank Senate leadership for recognizing the value of the program and the innovative public schools it provides to students.
Charter schools are more likely than district-run schools to be located in urban areas. Sixty percent of students in CSP grantee charter schools are from low-income backgrounds and 64% are Black or Hispanic.”
