Washington, D.C. – The U.S. Senate today unanimously passed a resolution introduced by Senators Michael Bennet (D-CO) and Lamar Alexander (R-TN) celebrating the 18th annual National Charter Schools Week, which runs from May 1 through May 5, and congratulating those involved in shaping our nation’s 6,950 charter schools.
“All children should have access to a great school that prepares them for the 21st century economy,” Bennet said. “In Colorado, many charter schools have helped boost student learning and success. During National Charter Schools Week, we recognize the accomplishments of our teachers, school leaders, parents, and students who help create successful charter schools.”
“Since their creation in the 1990’s by the Minnesota Democratic Farmer Labor Party, charter schools have had strong bipartisan support – including support from the last five presidents and last six education secretaries,” Senate Education Committee Chairman Alexander said. “Congress has four times, by bipartisan majorities, supported charter schools. Charter schools are on the forefront of helping to create new opportunities for the more than three million public school children who attend a charter school by giving teachers more freedom and parents more choices. I look forward to continuing to work on ways to give more students the chance to attend a high-quality charter school.”
Bennet and Alexander are members of the Senate HELP Committee, which passed bipartisan legislation in 2015 to fix No Child Left Behind, helping states expand and replicate high-quality charter schools.
The resolution is cosponsored by 23 senators, including Sens. Cory Booker (D-NJ), Richard Burr (R-NC), Tom Carper (D-DE), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Chris Coons (D-DE), John Cornyn (R-TX), Ted Cruz (R- TX), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Johnny Isakson (R-GA), Ron Johnson (R-WI), James Lankford (R-OK), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Tim Scott (R-SC), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Pat Toomey (R-PA), Roger Wicker (R-MS) and Todd Young (R-IN).
Click HERE for the full text of the resolution.