Learning dollars: Arizona gets $15.7M grant for charter schools
Sep 30, 2015, 4:09 PM
(AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
PHOENIX — The U.S. Department of Education has awarded Arizona a $15.7 million grant for charter school startups in the state.
“The grant is to expand excellent charter schools and school choice for our students that are at-risk and living in poverty or living on Indian reservations,” Arizona Charter School Association President Eileen Sigmund said Wednesday.
Sigmund said the money would be distributed to various programs.
“(Education Department Officials) will look for quality leaders who can lift our students forward so they’re productive in either work or college, and they’re looking for a real way to make sure that we have a quality K-12 education pipeline,” she said.
Sigmund added that there is a big demand for charter schools in the state.
“Arizona now has more than 170,000 students in charter schools, and there’s a waiting list,” she said. “We’re really enthusiastic about continuing to meet the demand of families.”
Sigmund said the grant is the second Arizona has received for charter school startups. The first grant of $45 million was received in 2010.