Washington, D.C. – The House Labor-HHS Appropriations bill includes a $28 million increase for the Charter Schools Program (CSP). National Alliance President and CEO Nina Rees released the following statement in response to the subcommittee action:
“Last night, the House Labor-HHS Appropriations Subcommittee demonstrated support for public charter schools by recommending a $28 million increase to the Charter Schools Program (CSP), for a total of $370 million in FY 2018. This crucial funding would allow more high-quality public charter schools to open, expand and replicate, giving more students access to the great public school options they need and deserve. We are grateful to Chairman Cole, who provided this increase even when faced with a tight allocation that was several billions of dollars below last year’s level.
“However, the allocation remains too low, and must be raised. Once again, we urge Congress in the strongest possible terms to lift the cap on non-defense discretionary spending. We continue to support the Administration’s proposed level of $500 million for CSP in FY 2018. With a higher budget cap, Congress can reach that goal and provide students with even more access to public charter schools and other critical programs. We look forward to continued progress as the House bill moves to full committee and the Senate takes up its appropriations work.”
About Public Charter Schools
Public charter schools are independent, public, and tuition-free schools that are given the freedom to be more innovative while being held accountable for advancing student achievement. Since 2010, many research studies have found that students in charter schools do better in school than their traditional school peers. For example, one study by the Center for Research on Education Outcomes at Stanford University found that charter schools do a better job teaching low income students, minority students, and students who are still learning English than traditional schools. Separate studies by the Center on Reinventing Public Education and Mathematica Policy Research have found that charter school students are more likely to graduate from high school, go on to college, stay in college and have higher earnings in early adulthood.
About the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools
The National Alliance for Public Charter Schools is the leading national nonprofit organization committed to advancing the public charter school movement. Our mission is to lead public education to unprecedented levels of academic achievement by fostering a strong charter sector. For more information, please visit www.publiccharters.org.
