- Secretary DeVos Awards $65 Million to Create and Expand Public Charter Schools in Areas of Greatest Need
- 2 Georgia entities among recipients
Last week, U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos announced $65 million in new grant awards that will fund the creation and expansion of more than 100 high-quality public charter schools in underserved communities across the country. Through the Expanding Opportunity through Quality Charter Schools Program (Charter Schools Program, or CSP), more students will have the opportunity to move off waitlists into schools of their choice.
“There are hundreds of thousands of kids on charter school wait lists across America, hoping for the opportunity to access an education that will help them reach their full potential,” said Secretary DeVos. “These critical investments in high-quality charter schools will help make that dream a reality for more students. The current educational disruptions are making crystal clear that students need more options and more flexibility to help find their right fit and shape their future success. The investments we are making today are truly investments in our nation’s future.”
The Charter Schools Program awards grants competitively to the highest quality proposals, as evaluated by independent peer reviewers. This year’s competition awarded funds to 13 different Charter Management Organizations (CMOs) which propose to replicate or expand over 100 high-quality public charter schools in eight states over the next several years.
Over 95% of the funding will go towards public charter schools in Qualified Opportunity Zones. Currently, more than 70% of Opportunity Zones lack a public charter school option for families. By creating and expanding high-quality public charter schools in Opportunity Zones, more families living in economically distressed communities will have the freedom to choose the educational option that’s best suited to their child’s needs.
The list of awardees is as follows:
| Name of Charter Management Organization |
State |
Amount |
| IDEA Public Schools |
TX |
$8.1 million |
| YES Prep Public Schools, Inc. |
TX |
$9.5 million |
| Citizens of the World Charter Schools – Los Angeles |
CA |
$1.7 million |
| Grimmway Schools |
CA |
$1.9 million |
| Resurgence Hall, Inc. |
GA |
$1.3 million |
| Great Oaks Legacy Charter School |
NJ |
$1.8 million |
| Pioneer Charter School of Science II |
MA |
$0.9 million |
| Responsive Education Solutions |
TX |
$14.0 million |
| Chicago Charter School Foundation |
IL |
$1.6 million |
| Fortune School of Education |
CA |
$1.1 million |
| Mater Academy, Inc. |
FL |
$19.2 million |
| Pataula Charter Academy, Inc. |
GA |
$0.8 million |
| Achievement First, Inc. |
CT |
$3.5 million |
| Total |
|
$65.4 million |
The CSP is authorized under Title IV, Part C of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act.
This is a press release from the US Department of Education
