YourVoice.Now Summary
Workers & JobsTransparency & AccountabilityTeachers could get up to $100,000 to plan a new charter school — with less set aside for opening schools.
Workers & Jobs
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
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.
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.
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
Empower Charter School Educators to Lead Act This bill makes changes to the Charter Schools Program (CSP), which authorizes competitive grants to state entities (e.g., state educational agencies and state charter school boards) to support high-quality charter schools. Specifically, the bill allows state entities to use up to 5% of their CSP grant funds to make pre-charter planning subgrants to certain prospective charter applicants. The bill specifies that state entities may also (1) fund a revolving loan fund or similar mechanisms for expenses prior to an eligible applicant receiving reimbursement, and (2) provide assistance to eligible applicants in locating and accessing a charter school facility. Under the current CSP, state entities must use at least 7% of their CSP grant funds to provide technical assistance to eligible applicants and authorized public chartering agencies. The bill instead allows state entities to use not more than 10% of these funds for technical assistance. Additionally, under the current CSP, state entities may not use more than 3% of CSP grant funds for administrative costs. This bill raises the cap to 5%.
Legislative Subjects
Details
- Congress
- 119th
- Chamber
- Status
- summarized
- Action
- Introduced in Senate
- Action Date
- 2025-05-15
- Date Added
- 2026-04-03
- Source
- Congress.gov →
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