On the recordMay 9, 2014
I thank the gentlewoman (Ms. Loretta Sanchez) for bringing forward this amendment. This amendment represents a best practice for charter schools. It is an important upgrade to our Federal authorization program to ensure that charter schools work to improve communities, disseminate best practices to public charter schools, and partner with businesses and with nonprofits in the community to improve the neighborhoods. A great school can truly help transform a community. Community involvement is the key to a public charter school having the maximum positive impact on the community. Parents are important partners for a child's education, and one of the great things that well-functioning, high-quality public charter schools do is involve parents. By incorporating this best practice into the Federal authorizing statute, we encourage States and districts to go even further, to ensure that parents and the broader community are involved in working with the public charter school as a component of transforming the neighborhood. I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this amendment and ``yes'' on the underlying bill. The Acting CHAIR. The time of the gentlewoman has expired.
