Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Diane Douglas proudly announced that the Arizona Department of Education’s (ADE’s) Arizona Charter Schools Program (AZCSP) was the recipient of a $55 million Title IV grant from the US Department of Education. The purpose of the grant is to hold competitive applications for school leaders interested in opening charter schools that serve disadvantaged Arizona students.
“I am very proud of our Arizona Charter Schools Program for receiving a grant that will benefit disadvantaged students,” Superintendent Douglas said. “It is our duty in education – and as a state – to protect and foster the growth of our most vulnerable students. These types of schools will offer yet another educational choice for Arizona students and parents.”
Training for the grant will take place on Wednesday, October 10, 2018, from 1-4 pm at the ADE offices located at 1535 West Jefferson, Phoenix, AZ 85007. If five or more school entities in southern Arizona or five or more in northern Arizona express interest in the AZCSP application training by October 15, 2018, AZCSP staff will present an in-person training in Tucson and/or Flagstaff. AZCSP will also present a follow-up webinar. The webinar date and time will be posted at AZCSP’s website: http://www.azed.gov/charter-school-program/alert/.
Anyone interested in applying for the subgrant is welcome to attend the training. However, the only applicants allowed to apply in 2018 1) must have already submitted their charter application to the Arizona State Board for Charter Schools (ASBCS) in May 2018 or 2) must have already submitted a replication application to ASBCS. Either application must be approved by ASBCS at its December 2018 public meeting. New Arizona State University (ASU) sponsored charter schools must also be approved by December 2018.
Subrecipients will be supported by a $250,000 annual award over a period of five years for a total of $1.25 million. Five award competitions will be held annually in November 2018 through 2022. Subrecipients must agree to participate in AZCSP staff and contractor instructional and finance/operational/grants management technical assistance all five years. For interested entities seeking further information or assistance, please contact Mark Francis at 602-542-4020 or [email protected].