For Immediate Release: September 24, 2019
Contact: Maggie Meyers at maggie@wacharters.wpenginepowered.com or (724) 263-9826
Funds will support new, innovative school models, and replication and expansion of high-performing charters statewide
Seattle, WA—The Washington State Charter Schools Association (WA Charters) was recently awarded a federal grant through the Charter School Program (CSP) Grants to State Entities grant, a competitive program that enables state entities to award subgrants to open and prepare for the operation of new charter public schools and to replicate and expand high-performing charters.
WA Charters’ award of $19,960,265 will be sub-granted over the next five years to new and expanding charter public schools around the state.
The Charter School Program (CSP) is designed to expand high-quality options for all students to attend charter schools and meet challenging state academic standards, particularly traditionally underserved students. The CSP provides financial assistance for the planning, program design, and initial implementation of public charter schools to increase the number of high-quality public schools available to students. Importantly, the CSP also funds efforts to evaluate the impact of charter schools on student achievement, families, and communities; to share best practices between charter schools and other public schools; to encourage states to provide facilities support to charter schools; and to support efforts to strengthen the charter school authorizing process.
This is the second CSP award for Washington state and will provide critical funds to continue the growth of high-quality charter public schools in our region.
“We’re extremely grateful for this significant investment in the growth of our state’s charter public school sector. Being chosen for this highly selective grant is a testament to Washington’s outstanding policy framework and promise of our relatively young charter sector, which includes some of the highest-performing, gap-closing charter public schools in the nation,” said WA Charters CEO Patrick D’Amelio.
WA Charters is among just three organizations in the nation to receive this award this cycle. Other recipients were the Alabama Coalition for Charter Public Schools and the New Hampshire Department of Education.
“These funds make it possible for more students and families to access additional free, public options focused on college and career readiness. We look forward to deepening our commitments to high-performing schools that demonstrate a track record of gap-closing academic success, and to supporting new and innovative models that will serve as examples of what is possible in public education,” said D’Amelio.
About WA Charters
The Washington State Charter Schools Association is a statewide nonprofit that advocates for and supports high-quality charter public schools that meet the needs of systemically underserved students. To learn more, visit www.wacharters.org.
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