ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- New Mexico will receive a $5.7 million charter school grant to help create more successful examples of these independent, innovative public schools and share information on how they work.

Susan Sclafani, counselor to U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige, today delivered New Mexico's grant during a special event at the Southwest Secondary Learning Center in Albuquerque, where she was joined by U.S. Rep. Heather Wilson and other state and local officials.

Alaska, Iowa, Kansas, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and 18 individual schools in Arizona and Mississippi also will receive grants under the $21.8 million program.

"There is no force in the universe more powerful, as far as school change is concerned, than an informed parent with options. Charter schools provide important choices for parents -- especially parents whose children are in a school labeled, "in need of improvement" -- and help local districts alleviate capacity challenges they face," Secretary Paige said. "The president knows -- and I know -- the value of choice and innovation in creating great schools. The demand for high-quality education is everywhere and charter schools can meet that demand in unprecedented ways. These grants will help create even more examples of these innovative, accountable public schools and help us share information on what works."

Charter schools are independent public schools designed and operated by educators, parents, community leaders, educational entrepreneurs and others. They are sponsored by designated organizations that monitor their quality and effectiveness but allow them to operate outside of the traditional system of public schools. The funding will provide for the planning, design, implementation and exchange of information on charter schools.

Southwest Secondary Learning Center, site of today's event, is a technology-based charter school accredited by the North Central Association under college preparatory criteria. Students are provided student-centered instruction in a multi-age environment that is individualized and results-oriented. They are provided with flexible schedules, state-of-the-art technology, mentor teachers and opportunities for concurrent enrollment at Albuquerque Technical Vocational Institute.

This fall, nationally, more than 3,000 charter schools will be serving about 750,000 students. Nearly two-thirds of these schools have waiting lists.

President Bush has proposed $320 million for charter schools in the coming fiscal year 2004, a 42 percent increase above last year's levels. This includes $100 million for the Credit Enhancement for Charter School Facilities program, which competes funds to public and nonprofit entities, and consortia of those entities, to leverage other money and help charter schools obtain school facilities through such means as purchase, lease and donation. Also part of the $320 million is $20 million for the Per-Pupil Facilities Aid Program that matches state programs that provide per-pupil funding for charter school facilities.

The Charter Schools Program currently supports charter school growth in 39 of the 40 states with chartering statutes, as well as the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Maryland is the 40th state to pass a charter law and will be eligible for a Charter School Program grant during the next program competition in spring 2004. These funds support more than a thousand charter schools nationally on a yearly basis in the planning, design and implementation of their programs.

Following is the list of states and the amounts they received:

Alaska, $1,750,000; Iowa, $1,085,000; Kansas, $2,500,000; New Hampshire, $1,643,460; New Mexico, $5,723,684; Pennsylvania, $5,150,000; and South Carolina, $1,265,000. In addition, 17 schools in Arizona will share $2,600,000 in grants, and one school in Mississippi will receive a $78,592 grant.

For more information about the public charter schools program, visit http://www.ed.gov/programs/charter/index.html.

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