2019 Charter School Champion - Senator Carla Nelson

The Minnesota Association of Charter Schools is proud to recognize the leadership of Senator Carla Nelson in authoring and shepherding legislation to restore Lease Aid for charter school students who attend Post-Secondary Enrollment Option (PSEO) classes.

Senator Nelson, a strong proponent of school options for students, has been an ongoing champion of charter school issues and legislation. During her tenure in the Minnesota Senate she has authored and co-authored legislation to codify multi-measurement accountability contracts for charter schools that serve significant populations of Graduation Incentives Eligible Students.

She has also been instrumental in the last couple of legislative sessions to ensure that chartered public school students are treated equitably with regard to school safety revenue and special education funding.

As a member of the Senate Education Committee, she has always had an open door and willingness to listen to the solutions that the charter school community has put forth to address the challenges and issues faced by charter schools.

As Chair of the Senate Education Committee, she has always welcomed testimony from the charter school community and as appropriate, sought out the perspective of the charter school community on issues that would impact chartered schools. Throughout the legislative process, she has demonstrated a willingness to defend charter schools against false information presented against chartered public schools.

So on behalf of the members of the Minnesota Association of Charter Schools, it is an honor and privilege to call you, Senator Carla Nelson, a “Charter School Champion”.