Applications will now be accepted for the public charter school grant competition, as part of $46 million grant program being run by the New Hampshire Department of Education.
The 2020-2021 competition “provides competitive grant funds to start new public chartered schools, as well as replicate and expand existing high-quality public chartered schools,” according to the announcement.
“The funds that are being made available today will support New Hampshire’s continued education innovation by expanding student access to high-quality charted public schools,” said Nate Greene, Administrator of the Bureau of Educational Opportunities.
The grant’s funds have been anticipated by the DOE for over a year now. The 5-year, $46 million grant award was received by the state from the U.S. Department of Education in 2019, but the state Department of Education had difficulty gaining approval for the funds from the legislative fiscal committee. This approval was eventually obtained in December 2020, at which point the state Department of Education sought approval from the federal level to proceed with the competition process.
The full 5-year program is expected to fund the creation of 20 new public chartered schools over the next four years, in addition to strengthening existing charter school oversight infrastructure.
The grant program will also award funds on a competitive basis to approved chartered public schools in the state, with priority going to schools that target disadvantaged and at-risk student populations or who offer innovative models for advancing student achievement in a specific field.
“Many of our current chartered public schools have long wait lists for student enrollment and these funds will support our state in meeting this demand by providing greater student access, particularly to at-risk and disadvantaged students,” said Greene.
The grant competition, now open, will close at 4 p.m. on July 22. In order to apply, charter school developers must have received authorization to establish a public charter school, meet the federal definition of a charter school, and apply following directions on the Department of Education’s website.
“Every student in New Hampshire deserves a shot at a bright future,” said Education Commissioner Frank Edelblut. “This grant will allow us to innovate instruction so that all students can find a pathway to success.”