Burr, Colleagues Press Education Secretary Cardona to Extend Public Comment Period on Troubling Charter School Proposals

Today, Senator Richard Burr (R-NC), Ranking Member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, along with Senators Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), Mike Braun (R-IN), Tim Scott (R-SC), John Cornyn (R-TX), and Marco Rubio (R-FL) sent a letter to Department of Education Secretary Miguel Cardona urging the Department to extend its 30-day public comment period following its recent and devastating decision to discourage Charter School Programs (CSP) from participating in federal grants. 

The public is usually given 60 days to comment for non-controversial policy proposals, giving experts and industry enough time to analyze and share opinions with the Administration proposing the policy change.

In their letter, the Senators criticize the Biden Administration for its proposals to upend charter schools across the nation.

 “The proposed requirements for the CSP are a blatant reversal of three decades’ worth of bipartisan support for charter schools,” the Senators wrote. “In addition to being overly prescriptive and overburdensome, the Department proposes foisting such prescriptions and burdens solely upon charter schools, which can only be viewed as an attempt by this Administration to disadvantage charter schools over their traditional public school peers.  Destroying future charter schools’ harms school choice for parents and students during a time when school choice is more important than ever.”

Additionally, the Senators noted the Department’s brazen efforts to subvert previous Congressional action.

“In addition to the direct attack on charter schools and school choice, these proposed policies were released immediately after Congress approved Fiscal Year 2022 appropriations,” the Senators continued. “Congress, after determining these proposals were bad policy, intentionally excluded them from the FY 2022 appropriations package. Such blatant disregard is yet another example of this Administration ignoring the will of Congress and acting by executive fiat.”

To read the full letter, click here.