    [United States Statutes at Large, Volume 133, 116th Congress, 1st Session]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

    Proclamation 9882 of May 10, 2019

    National Charter Schools Week, 2019

    By the President of the United States of America

    A Proclamation

    During National Charter Schools Week, we recognize the important
    contributions public charter schools make by providing American families
    with the freedom to choose high-quality education options that meet
    their children's needs. For more than a quarter century, charter
    schools--tuition-free public schools of choice--have been incubators of
    educational innovations, while being accountable for student achievement
    and outcomes. Today, what began as a grassroots movement now flourishes
    in 44 States, the District of Columbia, Guam, and Puerto Rico, with more
    than 7,000 schools serving approximately 3.2 million students.
    Charter schools empower families to pursue the right educational fit for
    their children, helping ensure that there are paths to the American
    Dream that match the needs of students striving to achieve it. The
    unique needs of students, rather than address or family income, should
    determine where they learn. My Administration is committed to reducing
    the outsized Federal footprint in education and to empowering

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    families, as well as State and local policymakers and educators, with
    the flexibility to adapt to student needs.
    Public charter schools work for students, teachers, and communities. The
    Center for Research on Education Outcomes found that charter schools
    better serve low-income students, minority students, and students
    learning English than neighboring public schools. The success of our
    Nation's public charter schools in helping students of all backgrounds
    thrive and in addressing the needs of local education confirms what
    Americans have always known: those who are closest to students know best
    how to prepare them to reach their full potential.
    Nothing better proves the value of and need for charter schools than the
    ever-growing demand from students and families. Although charter school
    enrollment has increased at least sevenfold in the past 18 years, more
    than one million students remain on charter school waiting lists today.
    A recent survey found that 59 percent of parents would prefer to send
    their child to a different type of school than the one to which they
    have been assigned.
    Because of the success of and demand for public charter schools, each
    year since taking office, I have proposed to increase and improve
    funding for them as a key part of my Administration's ambitious efforts
    to expand every family's access to all types of high-quality education
    opportunities. In my fiscal year 2020 budget request, I called on the
    Congress to increase funding for the Federal Charter Schools Program to
    $500 million, an increase of $60 million over the current level.
    No matter where they live or how much their parents earn, all children
    deserve access to education that enriches their minds. This week, we
    celebrate all the students, families, teachers, administrators, and
    community leaders who support public charter schools and education
    freedom. We reaffirm our commitment to expanding every family's access
    to high-quality education opportunities and to supporting educational
    excellence and innovation for the benefit of every student and for the
    continued prosperity of our great Nation.
    NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the United States of
    America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and
    the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim May 12 through May 18,
    2019, as National Charter Schools Week. I commend our Nation's
    successful public charter schools, teachers, and administrators, and I
    call on States and communities to help students and empower parents and
    families by supporting high-quality charter schools as an important
    school choice option.
    IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this tenth day of May,
    in the year of our Lord two thousand nineteen, and of the Independence
    of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-third.
    DONALD J. TRUMP