Ciscomani Introduces Legislation to Enhance Quality of Charter Schools

Washington, D.C. - Congressman Juan Ciscomani introduced legislation that aims to solve the issue of charter schools operating in subpar facilities due to a lack of proper funding. Arizona families with children enrolled in a charter school deserve not only to know their students are receiving a top tier education, but that it is occurring in a well

The Equitable Access to School Facilities Act (H.R. 7086) seeks to give charter schools increased access to funding for facilities-related needs, allowing them to operate in spaces better equipped for students’ educational needs. This will be accomplished by expanding the types of programs that qualify for State Facilities Incentive Grant (SFIG) support, improving other SFIG programs to bolster charter school access to adequate facilities, and allowing state entity (SE) funds to be used for more facilities-related needs than currently permitted.

Arizona’s Sixth Congressional District is home to not only the highest ranked charter school in the nation, but it is also the highest ranked high school overall. Sadly, access to appropriate and affordable school buildings for charter schools continues to be one of the biggest barriers to growth. Unlike district schools, charter schools aren’t guaranteed access to school buildings or traditional access to facilities funding sources like local property tax dollars.

Often, this will force charter schools to operate in places like church basements, vacant storefronts, or other abandoned buildings that lack important amenities such as gymnasiums, libraries, and science labs.

Arizona is a leader in school choice policies, evidenced by having multiple schools in the national rankings, and the state has around 580 charter schools.

“I’m proud to introduce this piece of legislation to show my support for school choice, and to help Arizona continue to excel in education. As a father of six young children, I know firsthand the importance of proper school amenities and access to often slim resources,” Congressman Ciscomani said. “Arizona is a pioneer in school choice, and we strive to make all education options good options.”

“BASIS Educational Ventures strongly supports the Improving Access to School Facilities Act as a practical path to creating more equitable opportunities for charter school access of affordable, high-quality facilities. By reducing facility-related expenses and expanding financing options, this legislation ensures that more school resources can be directed to what matters most — strengthening teacher and staff compensation and sustaining the academic excellence that students deserve,” Lorenzo Romero, President, BASIS Educational Ventures said. “This effort represents a smart, bipartisan approach to strengthening public education by establishing funding structures that ease the burden of facilities costs and allow charter schools to direct more resources toward students and educators.”

“Congressman Ciscomani has a strong record of supporting Arizona’s public schools, including public charter schools, and we’re grateful for his leadership in sponsoring the Equitable Access to School Facilities Act,” Jake Logan, CEO of the Arizona Charter Schools Association said. “We look forward to working with Congressman Ciscomani, and the entire Arizona Congressional Delegation, to support this legislation so all Arizona students can have access to high quality public schools that meet their family’s needs.”

You can find a summary and the full text of it here.

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