Bakersfield
Republican Women Federated
Education
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 29, 2004
Gov. Schwarzenegger Joins U.S. Education Sec. Rod Paige to Announce $75 Million in Federal Grants for Charter Schools
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige, Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell and California Secretary for Education Richard Riordan jointly announced today a $75 million grant for California charter schools.
"This is a fantastic day for California," said Governor Schwarzenegger at Sacramento High School, a Sacramento charter school run by St. HOPE Academy. "I am excited about this because I see the brilliant promise of California in our public schools. Our teachers and education leaders work hard every day for the children. And they are using innovation and creativity to ensure our kids get a quality education."
California will receive $24.7 million in 2004 and up to $25 million in each of the two subsequent years. This grant money will expand the number of high-quality public charter schools to more than 250 new charter schools over three years, providing additional school choice options for parents to choose the public school education that meets the unique needs of their children.
Secretary Paige praised charter schools as a viable option for students in low-performing schools and for its expansion of education research in our country.
"Charter schools provide a clear alternative for students whose school is not serving them well - they are a springboard to success," said Secretary Paige. "Charters are laboratories of innovation, seeding the educational landscape with bold, daring ideas that can be transplanted into traditional public schools. These grants recognize the pioneering spirit of California and other states to help their children learn. It is exactly this type of innovation that is critical as we work together to close the troubling achievement gap in this country."
The grant will also provide more money for workshops geared to improve charter school performance, disseminate information about best practices being implemented in successful charter schools and be able to share these model programs with other public schools. During the 2003-04 school year, California had approximately 470 charter schools, serving about 165,000 students.
Governor Schwarzenegger also expressed gratitude to Superintendent O'Connell and his staff for their work in obtaining the federal funds.
"I want to thank Jack O'Connell, our state Superintendent of Public Instruction and his staff for the tremendous job they did to get this grant for California," said Governor Schwarzenegger.
St. HOPE began as an after school program at Sacramento High School, an urban, low-income neighborhood outside of the downtown area in 1989. Founded in 1856, Sacramento High School is the second oldest high school west of the Mississippi. In 2003, Sacramento City Unified School District voted to close the school and re-open it as a charter school. St. Hope Public Schools is the chartering entity for Sacramento High School.