U.S. Department of Education awards Wisconsin $58M for charter school program

MADISON, Wis. (WSAW) - The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction has announced it was recently awarded $58 million from the U.S. Department of Education to support the Wisconsin Charter School Program.

The five-year federal grant will help the WCSP implement a statewide strategy that strengthens public charter schools, supports the development of high-quality charter schools and the replication and expansion of successful high-quality charter schools, and promotes statewide collaboration and sharing of best practices. The funding is Wisconsin’s seventh federal grant aimed at supporting public charter school development.

In addition to helping support up to 42 new, expanded, and replicated public charter schools, the grant allows up to 40 existing public charter schools to complete activities funded by the state’s previous WCSP grant. During the 2022-23 school year, Wisconsin had 239 public charter schools enrolling nearly 50,000 students.

Additional information on the program and on upcoming subgrant competitions will be posted to the DPI’s WCSP grant webpage. Interested applicants will have a deadline of mid-February to submit an application, with subgrant award announcements tentatively scheduled for June 2024. Questions related to the WCSP can be directed to CharterSchools@dpi.wi.gov.

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