Charter school kindergarten students show they are ready to serve in Manchester
By Shawne Wickham, Union Leader
"Two hours plus 93 children equal 2,808 meals. Those are the numbers behind a "service learning" trip to New Hampshire Food Bank on Friday for students from Mill Falls Charter School. But math wasn't the important lesson of the day".
New Hampshire Wins $11.6 Million to Open New Charter Schools in State
The U.S. Department of Education has awarded New Hampshire approximately $11.6 million over five years to open new public charter schools in the state.
The New Hampshire Department of Education was among dozens of State Education Agencies who competed for federal charter school funding through an application submitted in May. Because of the strong and compelling application submitted by the NH DOE, New Hampshire was among one of the few states chosen to receive awards. NH has been without a federal startup award since 2007 which makes winning this grant even more important. The application focused on how public charter schools can benefit a rural state like New Hampshire through innovative approaches to education that save money, offer new options for parents and help target students at-risk to stay in school and succeed.
These startup funds can be used for both state and locally authorized startup groups to open new public charter schools in our state. With awards ranging from approximately $400,000 - $575,000 depending on enrollment size and program type .