Today, the per pupil payments that constitute the main source of financing for charter schools are generally only a fraction of the funds provided to traditional public schools for operating expenses alone. Moreover, charter schools frequently receive little in the way of the state and local facilities funding that is currently provided to district schools. The act aims to triple the number of charter schools in the country by 2005 and encourages school districts through grants to enact public school choice. The driving force behind educational innovation and improvement is school competition. But the driving force behind our education debate must be the desire to reach consensus.
Charter schools are public schools.
They deserve the same opportunities. A school of talented faculty and dedicated staff must not be doomed to failure because it cannot afford to rent or renovate a building in which to teach. Republican Senators Mike DeWine, John Ensign, Bill Frist, Rick Santorum, Arlen Specter and Gordon Smith join Democratic Senators Evan Bayh, Joe Biden, Jeff Bingaman, John Breuax, John Kerry, Mary Landrieu and Joe Lieberman. It focuses on allowing parents to determine the best course of action for their child's future while ensuring that charter schools receive the same benefits as traditional public schools. Exempt all interest on charter school loans from federal taxes.