Walton Foundation gives $15 million to California charters

The Walton Family Foundation plans to spend $15 million to significantly expand the number of charter schools in California.

The Bentonville, Ark.-based foundation, which is overseen by the family of Walmart founder Sam Walton, said it is investing in the California Charter Schools Association, which represents more than 900 charter schools serving 365,000 children.

The foundation says the goal is to allow 100,000 more children to attend “high-quality” charter schools in California over the next three years. About 20,000 of those students will be in the Los Angeles Unified School District, one of seven urban districts the foundation is targeting.

Other cities targeted by the foundation for additional grant money are Albany, Denver, Milwaukee, Newark, New Orleans and Washington, D.C.

The foundation has previously invested a total of $17.9 million in the California Charter Schools Association.

Associated Press, Aug. 23