Legislative Alert: U.S. House Appropriations Committee Chairman Seeks to Cut Start-up Funding for Charter Schools

U.S. House Appropriations Committee Chairman Seeks to Cut Start-up Funding for Charter Schools

Chairman Obey of the House Appropriations Committee has proposed a $10 billion education jobs fund, but he would fund it by cutting already funded education reform programs including the critical Charter Schools Program which funds start-up charter schools.

Ohio has already cut state start-up funding for charter schools to zero, and with no facilities support this action will make it virtually impossible for healthy charter schools start- ups. Like mal-nourished children, infant charters are almost always doomed to fail if they are underfunded.

The Ohio Alliance for Public Charter Schools strongly urges you to write to your federal representatives to encourage them to rescind these cuts and examine other possibilities for funding the education jobs fund, including those programs that the Congressional Budget Office have rated ineffective or have received low PART ratings.

HOW TO TAKE ACTION?
1. Go to the OAPCS website, www.oapcs.org.
2. On the front page of the website at the lower left click on the “Take Action” button. You can also click here to go to this page directly.
3. Fill in your information and the VoterVoice program will tell you who your representatives are.
4. Select all your federal representatives and “continue.”
5. In the letter block provided write your own text on this matter or feel free to create your own using the model letter that we have attached below.
6. When you hit the send button, your letter will automatically be send electronically to all your reps, with proper headings and addresses.

This legislation will be voted on in the house within the next 24-48 hours so this action requires your immediate attention.

WE CANNOT AFFORD TO UNDERFUND THE START-UP OF HIGH QUALITY CHARTERS IN OHIO, OR ANY OTHER STATE FOR THAT MATTER.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Sample letter: (remember, headings and salutations will automatically be provided)

Chairman Obey of the House Appropriations Committee has proposed a $10 billion education jobs fund, but funding it by cutting already funded education reform programs including the critical Charter Schools Program which helps to fund start-up charter schools.

On behalf of the 321 charter schools educating over 90,000 public school students in Ohio, I am writing to express my opposition to the recently filed House supplemental appropriations bill that slashes funding for key education reform initiatives—including $100 million for the federal charter school programs.

Ohio has already cut state start-up funding for charter schools to zero, and with no facilities support this action will make it virtually impossible for healthy charter schools start- ups. Like malnourished children, infant charters are almost always doomed to fail if they are under-funded.

The Ohio Alliance for Public Charter Schools strongly urges you to support rescinding these cuts and examine other possibilities for funding the education jobs fund, including those programs that the Congressional Budget Office have rated ineffective or have received low PART ratings.