05/05/2022 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 05/06/2022 08:30
Denver - Today, U.S. Senators Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Tim Scott (R-S.C.), Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), and a group of their colleagues wrote to Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona expressing their concerns about a proposed rule from the Department of Education that would jeopardize charter schools and limit families' education options.
<_o3a_p>
"During the 2020-2021 academic year, nearly 240,000 new students enrolled in charter schools, representing a seven percent growth as compared to the previous academic year," wrote Bennet and the senators. "This clearly demonstrates how critical the [Charter Schools Program] is, as it is the only federal program dedicated to supporting the creation of new public charter schools, replicating high-quality public charter schools, and disseminating information about effective practices within charter schools. CSP was designed to provide critical resources to expand access to high-quality charter schools, but these proposed regulations could restrict access to new high-quality public charter schools. As such, we are concerned that the NPP does not prioritize the needs of students and limits high quality choices to certain families."
<_o3a_p>
The majority of federal funding for charter schools comes from the 28-year-old, bipartisan federal Charter Schools Program (CSP). Despite a 7% increase in charter school enrollment throughout the 2020-2021 academic year, the Department of Education recently proposed a rule that would impose burdensome new requirements on charter schools, making it difficult - if not impossible - for many schools to receive funding.
<_o3a_p>
In addition to Bennet, Scott, and Feinstein, this letter was signed by U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), and Richard Burr (R-N.C.).
<_o3a_p>
The full text of the letter is available HERE.<_o3a_p>