[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 87 (Wednesday, May 5, 2004)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 25285-25286]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-10367]


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  Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 87 / Wednesday, May 5, 2004 / 
Presidential Documents  

[[Page 25285]]


                Proclamation 7777 of April 30, 2004

                
National Charter Schools Week, 2004

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                America looks to its schools to give all students the 
                skills they need to realize their dreams and reach 
                their potential. Charter schools help fulfill this 
                mission. During National Charter Schools Week, we 
                celebrate the successes of these institutions.

                Charter schools are an important part of our effort to 
                improve the public school system and offer broader 
                educational options to every family. Like other public 
                schools, charter schools are open to all students. 
                Because they are subject to fewer State and district 
                regulations than other public schools, charter schools 
                offer teachers and administrators more freedom in 
                tailoring programs to meet specific student and 
                community needs. In exchange for this freedom, they 
                must meet stricter accountability standards.

                Now in their second decade, the demand for charter 
                schools is growing among families from all backgrounds. 
                During this school year, our Nation's charter schools 
                will educate nearly 700,000 students. Many families 
                choose charter schools because of the innovative 
                curriculum and focus on academic achievement, and 
                because these schools can be a promising alternative to 
                a low-performing neighborhood school.

                Charter schools are an important part of the No Child 
                Left Behind Act. They provide parents with more choices 
                for their children's education. The greater autonomy of 
                charter schools allows them to employ innovative 
                educational practices. Studies have shown that many 
                charter schools improve academic achievement for their 
                students and that parents of students in charter 
                schools are satisfied with their children's schools.

                My fiscal year 2005 budget includes an overall 49 
                percent increase for elementary and secondary education 
                over 2001 levels, and it proposes $219 million for 
                charter school grants and $100 million for charter 
                school facilities. Together, funding for these two 
                charter school programs has increased 68 percent over 
                2001 levels. By raising expectations, insisting on 
                results, and refusing to accept failure, we are 
                strengthening our public schools and improving 
                education for all children in America.

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the 
                United States of America, by virtue of the authority 
                vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United 
                States, do hereby proclaim May 2 through May 8, 2004, 
                as National Charter Schools Week. I commend our 
                Nation's charter schools, and I call on parents of 
                charter school students to share their successes to 
                help all Americans understand more about the important 
                work of charter schools.

[[Page 25286]]

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                thirtieth day of April, in the year of our Lord two 
                thousand four, and of the Independence of the United 
                States of America the two hundred and twenty-eighth.

                    (Presidential Sig.)B

[FR Doc. 04-10367
Filed 5-4-04; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3195-01-P