Education-Charter Schools [Folder 1]

04/12/96 18:42 1 002 CHARTER SCHOOLS Charter schools are independent public schools, which do not have to comply with most government regulations imposed on other schools in the public system. Charter schools are created by groups of parents, teachers, community leaders, and administrators and are held accountable for their results through a performance based contract with a local school board or state. Charter schools provide more choices for families by allowing them to decide which public school their children will attend. President Clinton has long been an advocate of innovative solutions such as Charter Schools and under his leadership as Governor, Arkansas was one of the first states to promote public school choice. The reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (Improving America's Schools Act- IPSA), which the President signed into law in October of 1994, reflects his belief that "parent and student choice among public schools can assist in promoting comprehensive educational reform and give more students the opportunity to learn to challenging state content standards and challenging state student performance standards, if sufficiently diverse and high-quality choices, and genuine opportunities to take advantage of such choice are available to students." IPSA legislation provides FY 1995 funding - charter schools start-up grant program - which will be awarded to 12 sites this month. Since 1991, 20 states have enacted laws permitting the establishment of charter, or independent public schools. About 110 charter schools have opened their doors in seven states: California, Minnesota, Michigan, Colorado, New Mexico, Wisconsin, and Massachusetts. More than 100 other schools have received charters and plan to begin operation by next year. State charter laws differ significantly from one another, but they all charter schools have some features in common - charter schools are: Public Schools. Charters do not charge tuition, they are non-sectarian, they abide by health, safety, and civil rights laws, and they are accountable to public authorities. Independent And Relatively Autonomous. Charter schools operate independently from school districts, and are free from most education rules and regulations. They are given much more decision-making authority than other public schools but the degree of autonomy varies considerably from state to state. Accountable For Results. Charter schools are accountable for results and a charter will only be renewed if the school meets performance standards as outlined in its contract. Create Alternatives And Choice For Teachers, Parents, And Students Within The Public School System. In many states charters are designed and managed by teachers, parents, non- profits, or other private organizations. Other federal funds, including those provided under Goals 2000 and School-to-Work, may be used by states and communities to support charter schools. Massachusetts and Michigan, for example, are already using Goals 2000 funds to support the development of charter schools. In addition, U.S. Secretary of Education Richard Riley has been asked by President Clinton to use broad waiver authority to provide maximum flexibility in the use of federal funds to help charter schools ad to tailor the use of federal program resources to those needs. President Clinton's 1996 budget request for charter schools was $20 million. The U.S. House of Representatives action provides $6 million and the Senate Appropriations Committee would grant $10 million. The first grants to be awarded under the charter schools start-up grant program - the only direct support from the Federal Government exclusively to charter schools include grants to California, Texas, Colorado, Minnesota, Michigan, Louisiana, Georgia, Arizona and Massachusetts.