[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 40, Number 19 (Monday, May 10, 2004)]
[Pages 719-720]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Proclamation 7777--National Charter Schools Week, 2004

 April 30, 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

[[Page 720]]

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.
    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.
                                                George W. Bush

 [Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 8:45 a.m., May 4, 2004]

Note: This proclamation was published in the Federal Register on May 5. 
This item was not received in time for publication in the appropriate 
issue.