2024 Advocate Award Recipient

A former teacher, principal, and Assistant Commissioner at the MN Department of Education from 1996-1999, Eugene Piccolo was a tireless and fierce champion of high-quality charter schools, innovation, financial stewardship, and — above all else — serving students. For nearly 20 years, his advocacy in these areas was unmatched and has left a lasting legacy. His influence is permanently woven into the fabric of Minnesota’s charter school law — 124E — where his words and dedication are enshrined in its provisions.

In honor of his remarkable contributions, the MN Association of Charter Schools Board of Directors created the Eugene Piccolo Minnesota Charter School Advocate Award, which will be presented to future advocates who demonstrate the same perseverance, integrity, and vision that Eugene exemplified throughout his work with legislators and in shaping Minnesota's charter school policy.

At the Association's 2024 Annual Meeting & Celebration, Eugene was posthumously presented with the inaugural Eugene Piccolo Charter School Advocate Award as a tribute to his years of dedicated service and his unyielding commitment to Minnesota's charter  school community.

To learn more about Eugene and his lasting impact on Minnesota's charter school community and movement, the Association has published three artifacts which as accessible below:

• Honoring Eugene Piccolo (newsletter) - two weeks after Eugene's passing, the Association published an honorary newsletter crafted entirely from community members' voices and reactions to his passing. You can view the original newsletter here or click below to access a printable PDF version.
  
  
• Honoring Eugene Piccolo (video) - alongside creating the Eugene Piccolo MN Charter School Advocate Award, the Association's Board of Directors also commissioned a video in which colleagues who knew Eugene best and worked with him closely during his tenure as the Association's Executive Director spoke to Eugene's advocacy, character, leadership, and legacy.
  
  
• Chartering @ 30 - Minnesota's Story - Over the course of a year, from September 2021 through September 2022, Eugene researched and wrote a 45-volume newsletter series on the history of the first-in-the-nation charter school law and movement, which started in Minnesota. This series explores the ideation, creation, and evolution of Minnesota's charter school law and details significant individuals, moments, and schools throughout the (at that time) 30-year history of chartering in Minnesota. Eugene's original Chartering @ 30 - Minnesota's Story newsletters have now been crafted into a comprehensive 90-page book that is available to download and read for free.