U.S. Deputy Secretary of Education Raymond Simon today announced the award of a $33.6 million grant to Florida to help it create more quality charter schools and increase school choices that parents have to provide to their children.

Florida is one of five states receiving the competitive grants through the Department's Charter Schools Program (CSP), which supports states' efforts to plan, design, implement and disseminate information about charter schools. The other states receiving grants are Oregon, New York, Utah, and Idaho. Florida has a strong record of support for charter schools. More than 350 charter schools serve more than 100,000 students across the state, and Florida is now poised to focus on scaling up the best models.

"As laboratories of innovation for the best practices, high quality charter schools are proving that all children- regardless of their socioeconomic status, family background, or where they live- can learn and achieve, said Simon. We must now replicate the most effective models. This is why I'm happy that Florida will use its grant to help create high-quality charter high schools which will assist students in meeting the state's academic standards."

"Ensuring every young student receives a high quality education is a top priority. This investment will create better access to the charter schools of our state," said Sen. Mel Martinez. "I thank Secretary Spellings and Deputy Secretary Simon for their continued support of charter schools, which provide families with choices giving every child the opportunity to succeed."

State educational agencies with a specific statue authorizing charter schools may apply for funding. They then make competitive subgrants to developers of charter schools who have applied for a charter. In awarding grants, the Department must give preference to states that provide chartering agencies that are not a local education agency, such as a state chartering board, that have demonstrated progress in increasing the number of high-quality schools that are held accountable for reaching clear and measurable objectives, and that give public charter schools a high degree of autonomy over their budgets and expenditures.

Charter schools are independent public schools designed and operated by parents, educators, community leaders, education entrepreneurs and others with a contract, or charter, from a public agency, such as a local or state education agency or an institution of higher education. Charter schools are operated free-of-charge to parents and are open to all students. These schools provide parents enhanced educational choices within the public school system. Exempt from many statutory and regulatory requirements, charter schools receive increased flexibility in exchange for increased accountability for improving academic achievement. The first U.S. charter school opened in 1992. Today some 4,000 charter schools serve more than one million students in 40 states and Washington, D.C.

More information about the Public Charter Schools Program is available at http://www.ed.gov/programs/charter/index.html.

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