H.R. 3453 · On the floor · Education

Empower Charter School Educators to Lead Act

Sponsor: Julia Letlow (R-LA)

What it does

• Allow state entities to use up to 5% of Charter Schools Program grant funds to provide pre-charter planning subgrants to prospective charter applicants.
• Permit state entities to fund revolving loan funds or similar mechanisms to cover expenses of eligible applicants before they receive Charter Schools Program subgrants.
• Enable state entities to provide assistance to eligible applicants in locating and accessing charter school facilities.
• Increase the allowable cap on technical-assistance spending from 7% to 10% of Charter Schools Program grant funds.

Official 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 the expenses of eligible applicants prior to receiving CSP subgrants, 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.

Latest action

Jan 13, 2026: Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 379.

Committee: House Education and Workforce