The U.S. House Education and Workforce Committee on Jan. 21 voted 19-15 to advance a bipartisan charter schools funding bill led by U.S. Rep. Juan Ciscomani (R-AZ).
The Equitable Access to School Facilities Act, H.R. 7086, which the congressman sponsored on Jan. 15 alongside lead original cosponsor U.S. Rep. Sanford Bishop (D-GA), would give charter schools increased access to funding for facilities-related needs.
“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,” Rep. Ciscomani said. “Arizona is a pioneer in school choice, and we strive to make all education options good options.”
Specifically, H.R. 7086 would expand the types of programs that qualify for State Facilities Incentive Grant (SFIG) support, improve other SFIG programs to bolster charter school access to adequate facilities, and allow state entity funds to be used for more facilities-related needs than currently permitted, according to a bill summary provided by Rep. Ciscomani’s staff.
BASIS Educational Ventures and the Arizona Charter Schools Association support the bill, which is now on its way to the full House for consideration.