Smaller Class Sizes for Students and Educators Act of 2026

A district that wins a grant must plan to cut classes in kindergarten through 3rd grade to 18 kids or fewer. This is only for its poorest grade schools, and only if it wins.

The Education Department must pick districts with the most kids from poor families first. In each district, the poorest schools go first. Next come those with the biggest early-grade classes.

Most grant money pays to hire and support teachers for kindergarten through 3rd grade. New hires must meet all state licensing rules, and special education teachers count too.

Each district's grant plan must explain how teachers will get enough prep time during the school year. That time is for things like grading student work and planning lessons.

Each district's grant plan must explain how it will find, hire, and keep early-grade teachers. That includes people from racial, ethnic, or language groups that are few in teaching today.

Districts can use grant money to gather teachers' feedback on their working conditions. The bill says this includes sharing the results with the public from time to time.

A research office in the Education Department would study the grants. It would check class sizes and test scores. It would also check how often teachers quit and how often kids miss school.

Districts could spend no more than 3% of a grant on running it. The rest must go to hiring teachers, adding classroom space, or training teachers.

Districts must use the grants on top of the money they already spend to shrink early-grade classes. They cannot cut their own spending and fill the gap with federal money.

The bill allows $2 billion for the first year. After that, it allows "such sums as are necessary" every year, with no set amount and no end date.