Contact Fred Lewis; (202) 480-0860

State Superintendent of Education Hanseul Kang announced today that the US Department of Education has awarded the District of Columbia a $20 million Charter Schools Program (CSP) grant to support the successful launch and creation of high-quality charter schools in the District.

“The District is committed to leading innovation and sharing best practices among schools in the charter sector, and the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) is truly appreciative of the department’s decision,” Superintendent Kang said in announcing the grant. “This funding will help OSSE continue its collaborative efforts with the District’s Public Charter School Board (PCSB) to ensure that new charter schools have the resources to get off to a strong start and to actively support programs that help our students succeed.”

This five-year, $20,167,800 grant will enable OSSE to continue providing three years of start-up funding to new charter schools approved by the PCSB and to run a competitive dissemination project grant to enable charter schools to develop and share best practices across the District. OSSE also will use a portion of the new grant to provide new charter schools with access to dedicated direct loan funding for the acquisition and renovation of school buildings. 

The District’s CSP funds will support the successful launch and creation of high-quality charter schools by providing one year of planning funds and two years of implementation funds. Planning funds are used for the refinement of the desired educational results for the school; development of tools and systems for operating a school; and professional development for teachers and other staff who will work in the school. Implementation funds are used for the development of marketing materials to inform the public about the school; purchase of necessary equipment and educational materials and supplies; and acquire or build curriculum materials.