HR 3453119th CongressIntroduced

Empower Charter School Educators to Lead Act

Introduced: May 15, 2025

EducationFinancial ServicesInfrastructure

Standard Summary

Comprehensive overview in 1-2 paragraphs

Empower Charter School Educators to Lead Act would modify the federal program that funds high-quality charter schools under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). The bill adds a stronger role for educator-led charter development, expands technical assistance and state-level involvement to improve charter authorizing and oversight, creates pre-charter planning subgrants for educator-led developers, and introduces financial supports such as a revolving loan mechanism and facility access assistance. It also revises how grant funds are allocated among program activities, including reserving a portion for new activities described in the bill. In short, the bill aims to make it easier for experienced educators to lead the creation of new charter schools by providing targeted planning funds, technical and authorizer support, financial tools, and facilities help, while adjusting funding formulas to accommodate these changes.

Key Points

1Technical assistance and stronger authorizer oversight: The bill requires the program to provide technical assistance to eligible applicants and authorized public chartering agencies, and to work with state chartering entities to improve authorizing quality, including building capacity for fiscal oversight and auditing of charter schools.
2Pre-charter planning subgrants for educator-led developers: Eligible applicants led by educators can receive subgrants of up to $100,000 to develop initial plans for opening a charter school. Eligibility criteria include substantial school-based experience (at least 54 months) and demonstrated leadership competencies, as determined by the state entity, plus a plan addressing community educational needs.
3Facility access and upfront financing tools: The act would allow a revolving loan fund or similar mechanisms to cover certain expenses before an eligible applicant is reimbursed, and would enable assistance to applicants in locating and accessing suitable facilities.
4Expanded educator leadership criteria for grants: The bill sets specific leadership and experience requirements for educator-led developers seeking pre-charter planning funds, ensuring that applicants have proven leadership capabilities and a clearly described plan aligned with community needs.
5Funding allocation changes and new reserves: The bill changes portions of how funds are allocated under the program (for example, reducing a prior 90% figure to 80% for certain activities, introducing a cap on other funding ranges, creating a 5% reserve for new activities described in the bill, and reorganizing subparagraph designations). It also specifies that up to 5% of funds can be reserved to carry out activities described in the new subsection (b)(3).

Impact Areas

Primary group/area affected:- Educator-led charter school developers and prospective charter operators, who would be eligible for up to $100,000 pre-charter planning subgrants and would benefit from increased technical assistance, facilities support, and a clearer pathway to opening a charter school.Secondary group/area affected:- Authorized public chartering agencies and state education entities responsible for charter authorizing and oversight, which would gain new or expanded responsibilities for technical support, capacity-building, and improving fiscal oversight and auditing of charter schools.Additional impacts:- Charter school students and their communities could see more educator-led options and potentially better-aligned schools that address local needs.- The availability of revolving loan funds and facility assistance could affect startup costs and timelines for new charter schools.- The program’s funding structure would change, potentially altering how federal grant dollars are distributed among planning, assistance, and capacity-building activities.

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