South Carolina will receive a $1.3 million charter school grant to help create more successful examples of these independent, innovative public schools and share information on how they work.

"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.

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.

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

###

Top

Back to August 2003