WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX), Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Chairman Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Senator Michael Bennet (D-CO), and Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) today introduced the Empower Charter School Educators to Lead Act, which would authorize existing federal funding to help states streamline the application process for opening new charter schools:

“Charter schools are an important part of America’s education system, but the process to start one is often bogged down by red tape,” said Sen. Cornyn. “This legislation would make the application process more efficient for teachers, school administrators, and nonprofits interested in opening a charter school and help give parents more choices for their children’s education.”

“When starting a new charter school, knowing from experience how to help a child succeed is invaluable. Teachers have that expertise,” said Dr. Cassidy. “This bill gives teachers the resources to create their own charter schools and continue to provide a better future for our children.”

“Every student deserves the opportunity to attend a school that equips them with the skills and high-quality education they need to succeed in today’s economy,” said Sen. Bennet. “Charter schools provide flexibility and innovative educational opportunities for students across Colorado, but too often, they run into burdensome red tape and regulations from the federal government. This bill would ensure that charter schools can access federal grants and reach more families in underserved communities.”

“Every child deserves access to a high-quality public education,” said Senator Booker. “But the charter school application process is often complex and discouraging. This bipartisan legislation will providing funding to help streamline the charter school application process to make it more accessible for educators and nonprofits and encourage more families to find the best public school for them.”

Congresswomen Julia Letlow (LA-05) and Jill Tokuda (HI-02) led companion legislation in the House of Representatives.

Background:

The Empower Charter School Educators to Lead Act would:

• Authorize state entities receiving Federal Charter Schools Programs (CSP) grants to make pre-planning awards in amounts of no more than $100,000 to prospective applicants, or public or nonprofit entities that will support prospective applicants, provided they:
  • Are led by educators with 4.5 years of school-based experience;
  • Have successfully completed the development of an initial plan for the opening of a public charter school;
  • And have not yet submitted a proposal for approval of a charter to an authorized public chartering agency.
• Permit state entities to use up to 5% of their grant funds for those pre-planning awards;
• Raise the cap on the percentage of state entities’ grant funds that may be used for technical assistance and quality improvement activities from 7% to 10%;
• Raise the cap on the percentage that may be used for state administration from 3% to 5%;
• And clarify that states’ technical assistance activities may include assistance in locating and accessing a facility.

This legislation is endorsed by the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, National Associations of Charter School Authorizers, KIPP Public Schools, and Center for Learner Equity.