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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 21, 2007
“GOVERNOR SCHWARZENEGGER TO SIGN CHARTER SCHOOL FACILITIES LEGISLATION TODAY”
Governor Saves Facilities Program for Charter Schools Serving Poor, Minority Students

CONTACT:
Gary Larson
Larson Communications
(415) 722-0127

Branché Jones, Director of Governmental Affairs
California Charter Schools Association
(916) 296-2711

San Diego -- California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger will sign Senate Bill (SB) 20 (Torlakson D – Antioch) today at a ceremony at KIPP Adelante in San Diego. The legislation to be signed by the Governor preserves two charter school programs that are both designed to serve some of California’s neediest students.

SB 20 includes $18 million in facilities assistance for charter schools that target high-poverty students. Because of this program, the number of inner-city charter schools targeting high-poverty students has tripled in its five years. The legislation also preserves the State Board of Education’s ability to authorize high-quality charter schools in many of these same neighborhoods.

The signing will take place today at KIPP (Knowledge Is Power Program) Adelante Preparatory Academy, which will receive about $99,000 in facilities money from the program, at 1:30 p.m. KIPP Adelante is located at 1475 Sixth Avenue on the second floor in San Diego, 92101. Founded in 2003, KIPP Adelante was named a California Distinguished school in 2006, and a Certified Charter School by the Association earlier this year.

“The Governor, Assembly Speaker and the entire Legislature are to be commended for standing up for California’s low-income students,” said Caprice Young, president and CEO of the California Charter Schools Association. “This legislation provides critical resources that allow charter schools to deliver a high-quality education to thousands of poor and minority students.”

“The Governor’s signing of this legislation is a real boost for KIPP Adelante and the charter school movement,” said KIPP Adelante Preparatory Academy principal Elena Luna. “Additional funding for facilities will allow us to devote more dollars to teaching and learning and help more of our students climb the mountain to college.”

About the California Charter Schools Association The California Charter SchoolsAssociation is the membership and professional organization serving over 600 charter public schools that serve over 220,000 charter school students in the state of California. The Association’s mission is to improve student achievement by supporting and expanding California’s quality charter public school movement. www.myschool.org.

About KIPP Adelante Preparatory Academy
Founded in 2003, KIPP Adelante is a college preparatory charter middle school serving 340 of students in grades 5 through 8. Eighty-one percent of students are Latino/Hispanic, and over 90 percent are eligible for the federal free and reduced-price meals program. This past year, KIPP Adelante students outperformed both the San Diego Unified School District and the state of California in all subjects in 7th and 8th grades, as measured by the California Standards Test. KIPP Adelante Preparatory Academy is part of the KIPP (Knowledge Is Power Program) network that includes 10 charter public schools in California.