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MD Governor Announces New Funding for Charter Schools

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ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) - Gov. Larry Hogan has announced initiatives to support charter schools, including a new funding proposal.

Hogan announced the Public Charter School Facility Fund Act of 2019 on Wednesday. It would provide $1,600 in per-pupil funding for each public charter school student. Maryland has about 23,000 charter school students, so that would add up to about $36.8 million, if passed in its entirety.

It would be distributed through the Maryland State Department of Education.

The Republican governor's budget proposal includes $2.6 million specifically for construction projects at charter schools. It also includes $1.2 million from the Healthy School Facility Fund to fix heating and air conditioning issues and other maintenance improvements.

A charter school is one that receives government funding but operates independently of the established state school system.

Don Rush is the News Director and Senior Producer of News and Public Affairs at Delmarva Public Media. An award-winning journalist, Don reports major local issues of the day, from sea level rise, to urban development, to the changing demographics of Delmarva.