National Charter Schools Week, 2004

Proclamation 7777 of April 30, 2004

National Charter Schools Week, 2004

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

America looks to its schools to give all students the
skills they need to realize their dreams and reach
their potential. Charter schools help fulfill this
mission. During National Charter Schools Week, we
celebrate the successes of these institutions.

Charter schools are an important part of our effort to
improve the public school system and offer broader
educational options to every family. Like other public
schools, charter schools are open to all students.
Because they are subject to fewer State and district
regulations than other public schools, charter schools
offer teachers and administrators more freedom in
tailoring programs to meet specific student and
community needs. In exchange for this freedom, they
must meet stricter accountability standards.

Now in their second decade, the demand for charter
schools is growing among families from all backgrounds.
During this school year, our Nation's charter schools
will educate nearly 700,000 students. Many families
choose charter schools because of the innovative
curriculum and focus on academic achievement, and
because these schools can be a promising alternative to
a low-performing neighborhood school.

Charter schools are an important part of the No Child
Left Behind Act. They provide parents with more choices
for their children's education. The greater autonomy of
charter schools allows them to employ innovative
educational practices. Studies have shown that many
charter schools improve academic achievement for their
students and that parents of students in charter
schools are satisfied with their children's schools.

My fiscal year 2005 budget includes an overall 49
percent increase for elementary and secondary education
over 2001 levels, and it proposes $219 million for
charter school grants and $100 million for charter
school facilities. Together, funding for these two
charter school programs has increased 68 percent over
2001 levels. By raising expectations, insisting on
results, and refusing to accept failure, we are
strengthening our public schools and improving
education for all children in America.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the
United States of America, by virtue of the authority
vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United
States, do hereby proclaim May 2 through May 8, 2004,
as National Charter Schools Week. I commend our
Nation's charter schools, and I call on parents of
charter school students to share their successes to
help all Americans understand more about the important
work of charter schools.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
thirtieth day of April, in the year of our Lord two
thousand four, and of the Independence of the United
States of America the two hundred and twenty-eighth.

(Presidential Sig.)B