Washington, D.C. – The National Alliance for Public Charter Schools President and CEO Nina Rees released the following statement today on the Wisconsin Legislature’s Joint Finance Committee’s vote on the K-12 education budget:
“Today, the Wisconsin Legislature’s Joint Finance Committee enacted provisions within the K-12 education budget that will finally allow independent charter schools statewide. Most notably, the Office of Educational Opportunity at the University of Wisconsin-Madison will now have the ability to authorize independent charter schools across the state, not just in Milwaukee and Madison.
Independent charter schools are given the flexibility to innovate while being accountable for improved student achievement. Independent charter schools are unique public schools that foster a partnership between parents, teachers and students to create an environment in which parents can be more involved, teachers are given the freedom to innovate, and students are provided the structure they need to learn with all three held accountable for improved student achievement. The independent charter schools in Milwaukee are the highest performing sector of public schools in the city.
The National Alliance would like to take this opportunity to thank legislative leaders, especially Senator Alberta Darling and Representative Dale Kooyenga, for their hard work on these budget provisions. We commend Senator Darling’s and Representative Kooyenga’s steadfast leadership to create an environment more supportive of high-quality public charter school options for Wisconsin students.”
