Aug 19, 2024
Military & National Security
McMorris Rodgers: Opportunities Begin in the Classroom
WASHINGTON, D.C. – In a House Republican press conference today, Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (WA-05) offered her support of H.R. 10, the Success and Opportunity through Quality Charter Schools Act, which encourages states to expand and replicate high performing charter schools.
Remarks as Prepared for Delivery:
“I’d like to start today by sharing the words of AB Bustamante, a charter school student at Uplift Peak Prep High School in Texas. He says: ‘Being the first in my family to graduate from high school is the accomplishment I’m most proud of. My parents dropped out of 6th grade in Mexico in order to come to the United States. Graduating will not only make my parents proud, but I will also send a message to my younger sisters that with strong determination, nothing is impossible.’ I’m proud to say that just a few weeks ago, AB opened his letter of acceptance to the Naval Academy and plans to become a Second Lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps. And it all started in the classroom of his charter school.
“Like many charter schools across the country, Uplift Peak is made up of 90% minority students, and nearly 93% are low-income. But their charter school has given them the opportunity for an education, for a career, and for a better life. That is what we want for everyone in this country – no matter how much money they have, or where they were born, or what challenges they face. Right now, more than 1 million students are on the waitlists for charter schools across America. So let’s help them. Let’s make sure they have the opportunities AB had, and the students beside me have had – to grow and learn and succeed. Our bipartisan legislation will do just that – it will help states expand charter schools to give students access to these innovative institutions.
“Let’s open more doors for America’s students. Let’s expand their educational choices. And let’s give them the foundation to be America’s next innovators, entrepreneurs, doctors, artists and engineers. This is how we make it happen.”
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