$15 million to expand school choice in Minnesota
GOVERNOR PAWLENTY ANNOUNCES ADDITIONAL RESOURCES TO EXPAND PUBLIC SCHOOL CHOICE IN MINNESOTA -- September 15, 2004
~ State receives $15 million federal grant to help expand charter schools ~
Saint Paul -- Governor Tim Pawlenty today announced the state will have additional resources to expand public school choice. The Governor and Education Commissioner Alice Seagren accepted a $15 million, five-year grant from the U.S. Department of Education to support Minnesota's lease aid program for the state's charter schools. Nina Shokraii Rees, Assistant Deputy Secretary for Innovation and Improvement announced Minnesota will receive the grant at a press conference at Higher Ground Academy, a charter school in St. Paul.
(L to R) Nina Rees, Governor Pawlenty and Commissioner Seagren with the check
"We know that each child learns differently," said Governor Tim Pawlenty. "We need to provide public school options that allow parents and students to choose a school that best fits their needs. We thank the U.S. Department of Education for providing us with some extra funds that will help keep Minnesota on the cutting edge of public school choice. Since having the first charter school in the nation, our charter schools have been innovators and continue to provide new ideas that help to improve achievement for all of Minnesota's students."
The Charter School Facilities Incentive Grants Program (CSFIP), a No Child Left Behind grant from the U.S. Department of Education, will provide $15 million to Minnesota over five years, with the first $5 million coming to the state in Fiscal Year 2005. The grant will be used for three purposes:
Use the first $5 million to establish a "pilot project" for three years to focus on providing targeted assistance to charter schools that serve high percentages of low-income students to help them make needed improvements in their facilities. Improvements may include handicap accessibility modifications, science labs, library, or practical arts space. The specifics for this sub-grant program are under development in cooperation with charter school resource organizations;
Expand the capacity of the existing lease aid program to help Minnesota meet the facilities needs of the growing number of new charter schools in the state;
Partner with charter school resource organizations to provide additional technical assistance to charter schools searching for space or considering facilities improvements.
"We're excited that Minnesota had nineteen new charter schools this year," said Education Commissioner Alice Seagren. "This federal grant will help us to absorb the significant number of new charter schools we continue to see."
Since charter schools do not have tax levy authority, Minnesota provides funds to help lease space for their facilities. Charter school lease aid is based on a per-pupil formula that can provide up to 90 percent of the total lease amount or $1,200 per pupil, whichever is less. The state has appropriated $21 million for lease aid in Fiscal Year 2005. Currently, nearly 17,000 Minnesota students attend one of the 106 public charter schools located across the state.
The Minnesota Department of Education applied for the grant in June in an effort to help expand charter schools in the state. The grant application included support from State Senator Steve Kelley, Chair of the Senate Education Committee, and former State Representative and current Education Commissioner Alice Seagren, then the Chair of the House K-12 Education Finance Committee. The two signed a joint letter in support of the grant proposal.
For more information on the grant, visit the Public School Choice area of the Minnesota Department Education website.
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