[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