The Education Department has recently allocated federal grants to support charter schools. Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley announced that more than $5 million will be distributed to eight states, while an additional $78,000 will be given to two individual schools in New Mexico. This announcement was emphasized by President Clinton, who visited O’Farrell Community School, a charter school in San Diego.
President Clinton stated, "I want the American people to witness this because there are too many individuals in America who not only lack high expectations for our students but also lack high expectations for our schools. They fail to comprehend the potential for positive impact that can be achieved in a good school, where people work together and believe in their children and their future."
In a recent news conference, Secretary Riley featured a conference call with charter school leaders from the states receiving grants. He also revealed that the education department has signed a $2.1 million contract with a research organization based in Berkeley, California, for a comprehensive four-year study on charter schools. This study is expected to be the most extensive examination of such schools ever conducted.
Charter schools, which operate under contract with a public agency and are managed by parents, teachers, school administrators, business officials, or other entities, are regarded as a means of promoting innovation. Both conservatives, who endorse increased competition in education, and others who view charters as a less controversial alternative to voucher programs, support these schools.
However, local officials often hesitate to approve charter schools due to the potential loss of students, along with a portion of their school budgets, to an independent organization. The Clinton administration supports parental choice within public schools as well as charter schools but opposes the use of public funds for private school tuition through voucher plans.
The administration proposed a federal charter school grant program in 1993 as part of the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education ACT. Congress agreed to the idea, authorizing annual spending of $15 million for the Public Charter Schools Program. In fiscal year 1995, $6 million was appropriated for this program.
The states that received the federal grants – Arizona, California, Colorado, Georgia, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, and Texas – will competitively distribute sub-grants to new or recently established charter schools. These schools are required to utilize the funds for planning or start-up costs. The granted amounts varied from $250,000 to Texas to $829,451 to Massachusetts.
States that receive federal grants must have established laws permitting charter schools to bypass most state and federal regulations in exchange for enhanced accountability. Individual schools can apply for funds under this program if their state has a charter school law in place and has not already applied for federal funding.