S-1795 — Empower Charter School Educators to Lead Act

YourVoice.Now Summary

Workers & JobsTransparency & Accountability

Teachers could get up to $100,000 to plan a new charter school — with less set aside for opening schools.

Workers & Jobs

Educators' grants to plan a new charter school — up to $100,000

States could set aside up to 5 percent of their charter grant money for these grants. The lead educator needs at least 54 months of school work and a finished plan for the school.

Transparency & Accountability

Required financial oversight and audits of charter schools

State entities would have to work with the agencies that approve charter schools. The goal is to build their ability to check charter school books and run audits.

Guaranteed spending on charter oversight — 7% minimum replaced by 10% cap

Today states must put at least 7 percent of the grant toward this support work. The bill would drop that minimum and let them spend anything up to 10 percent.

Existing time and spending limits — would not cover new planning grants

Rules capping grants at five years and limiting what the money buys would stay tied to the school-opening grants. The new planning grants would follow their own $100,000 limit instead.

More about this bill

If you teach and want to start a charter school, this bill would open a new source of money. States could hand out planning grants of up to $100,000 to school developers led by educators. The lead educator needs at least 54 months of school work — about four and a half years. They must also finish a plan showing what the community needs and how the school would meet it. The money would come out of the same pot states already get for charter schools. The share reserved for opening and expanding schools would drop from 90 percent to 80 percent. States could keep 5 percent for their own costs, up from 3 percent. States would also have to help audit charter school finances. But the rule making them spend at least 7 percent on that support work would go away. Most families would notice no change in daily life.

Congressional Summary

Allows state entities to use up to 5% of Charter Schools Program grants for pre-charter planning and increases technical assistance funding to 10% and administrative costs to 5%.

Legislative Subjects

EducationCharter SchoolsTeachers

Details

Congress: 119th
Chamber
Status: summarized
Action
Action Date: 2025-05-15
Date Added: 2026-04-03
Source: Congress.gov →

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