[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 64 (Thursday, May 1, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E847-E848]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   CONGRATULATING CHARTER SCHOOLS ACROSS THE UNITED STATES FOR THEIR 
                   ONGOING CONTRIBUTIONS TO EDUCATION

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                             HON. RON KIND

                              of wisconsin

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 29, 2003

  Mr. KIND. Mr. Speaker, as a member of the House Education and 
Workforce Committee, as well as co-chair of National Charter School 
Week, I strongly support the H. Res. 204, legislation honoring National 
Charter Schools Week.
  Public schools are America's commitment to providing a high quality 
education for every child. I am dedicated to ensuring that all children 
have the opportunity to receive a quality education regardless of what 
public school they attend. This includes charter schools, which are 
models of successful education reform and one of the fastest growing 
education innovations working to improve our public education.
  As a National Co-Chair of Charter Schools, I would like to take a 
minute to celebrate the first decade of Charter Schools in the United 
States. Traditionally, charter schools are independent public schools, 
designed and operated by educators, parents, community members and 
others. Since the first charter school began operation in 1992 in St. 
Paul, Minnesota, the number of charter schools has grown to nearly 
2,700, serving 500,000 students around the country.
  I am proud to say that we currently have 128 charter schools 
operating across the state of Wisconsin. In my congressional district 
alone, we have 20 charter schools presently and that number grows each 
year.
  Just last week, I took the opportunity to visit the LaCrosseroads 
Charter School in my hometown of La Crosse, Wisconsin, and was 
impressed by all of the wonderful things that have been accomplished 
there in just the past several years. The interests, involvement and 
stewardship of these charter school students extend well beyond La 
Crosse and reach out beyond the borders of this country with their 
active participation in the Red Cross School Chest Program. For this 
program, LaCrosseroads students have been collecting school supplies 
for Red Cross distribution to children in other countries, who are 
unable to attend school because of war or natural disasters.
  Charter schools have consistently been at the forefront of my 
priority list, and I am pleased that Wisconsin is one of seven states 
with over 100 exceptional charter schools. I have consistently 
advocated for increased

[[Page E848]]

funding for Charter Schools and supported the Charter School Facilities 
Financing Demonstration Program during consideration of the No Child 
Left Behind Act (NCLB) of 2001.
  Mr. Speaker, I recognize that charter schools give parents options 
when determining the best public school in which to enroll their 
children. Thus, we must ensure that all our students reach their 
highest academic potential, which may require attending a charter 
school that provides a model better suited towards an individual 
student's needs.

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