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| Wilson Fights to Include Charter School Funding in Final Education Budget |
December 07, 2000 |
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| WASHINGTON, DC –Congresswoman Heather Wilson is lobbying the House leadership to include a plan to reduce the cost of building charter schools in New Mexico and across the country in the final version of the Department of Education’s budget for next year.
Wilson introduced the Neighborhood Schools Act of 2000, to create a loan guarantee fund for the construction, acquisition, modernization, or renovation of public charter schools or to purchase or replace equipment. Wilson has worked with members of the House education committee on school funding proposals. The committee was unable to pass comprehensive school financing legislation. Wilson is fighting to include a charter school funding provision in the final education appropriations bill that is being negotiated with the White House.
“Charter schools are one of the most promising recent education innovations,” said Wilson. “But people in Albuquerque who want to start charter schools are unable to get money to build or renovate space at reasonable interest rates. Federal loan guarantees would reduce the risks of loaning for banks and lower the cost of loans.
“Unlike other public schools, charter schools in New Mexico do not have access to bond funds. For the charter schools that are able to find funding, they are often limited to basements, community centers, or housed within other public schools. Our children deserve better. By investing in innovative ideas like charter schools we can begin to give parents the choices they deserve and more importantly children the quality education they need,” concluded Wilson.
Wilson hopes that the House leadership will be willing, at a minimum, to begin a series of pilot projects to develop mechanisms to finance charter school construction.
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