U.S. Department of Education Grants $46
million to Minnesota Department of Education for Charter Schools
The
five-year grant will help improve and expand charter schools in Minnesota
ROSEVILLE, MN – The Minnesota Department of Education was
awarded a $45.8 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education this week to
improve the quality of charter schools in Minnesota. The five-year grant is
designed to help high-quality charter schools expand and grow, while improving
instruction for students.
“Minnesota’s public charter schools play an essential
role in ensuring that every child in our state has a strong start and a great
education,” said Governor Dayton. “This new $46 million grant will
build upon the $1.73 billion we have invested in K-12 education since 2011, to
close opportunity gaps and provide better outcomes for every kid across
Minnesota.”
Ninety percent of the grant will be distributed through a
competitive sub-grant process to start-up, expand and replicate high-quality charter
schools. Funding will also be used to develop educational programming for
charter school leaders with the goal of improving charter school management and
leadership. There are currently 164 charter schools in Minnesota.
"Every Minnesota
child deserves access to a high-quality education, whether they attend a
traditional public school or a charter public school," said
Commissioner Brenda Cassellius. "This
new funding will help us continue our work to improve and expand access to
high-quality charter schools across the state, and offer more support to the
charter school leaders and educators who are key to student and schools
success."
Minnesota was the first state in the nation to establish
charter schools in 1991 and led the way in 2009 to enact more rigorous
oversight of charter schools and their authorizers. A leader in public school
choice, Minnesota also offers concurrent enrollment and Postsecondary
Education Options (PSEO), which allows high school students the opportunity to
obtain college credit while still in high school.
The
grant is a part of the Expanding
Opportunity through Quality Charter Schools Program, which awarded
approximately $253 million in new grants this
year. These grants were awarded to state educational agencies and other state
entities, charter management organizations and other non-profit organizations
and represent the first cohort of new awards under the program’s new
authorizing statute, the Every Student Succeeds Act.
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