[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 75 (Wednesday, May 9, 2018)]
[House]
[Page H3867]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               RECOGNIZING NATIONAL CHARTER SCHOOLS WEEK

  (Mr. PAULSEN asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. PAULSEN. Mr. Speaker, I want to recognize National Charter 
Schools Week.
  Minnesota was a pioneer in the charter school movement, opening the 
Nation's very first charter school in St. Paul in the fall of 1992.
  Charter schools are tuition-free, independent, public schools that 
are open and welcome to all students, no matter ability or need. They 
are governed and operated jointly by licensed teachers, parents, and 
community members.
  Today, more than 56,000 Minnesota children are educated every day in 
charter schools, many of them from low-income families. A child's ZIP 
Code should not determine the outcome of their education.
  As co-chair of the Charter School Caucus, I am pleased with the 
bipartisan work we have been able to do to strengthen charter schools 
and enable the replication of successful charter programs nationwide.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to recognize the great work being done in charter 
schools across the country and thank the teachers and community leaders 
who work so hard educating their children.

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