The U.S. Department of Education’s Charter Schools Program (CSP) has supported the growth of the charter school sector for more than 30 years. Despite significant changes in the charter sector—especially in the last decade—CSP has not been significantly revised since 2015. And as the charter sector matures, priorities shift that require additional resources. For example, while new charter school authorizers are still being established from new charter laws, many authorizers are in their second, or even third, decade of authorizing charter schools. The needs of these groups vary widely.

NACSA is supporting three bipartisan federal bills that will modernize CSP, adapting the program to the needs of fully established charter school ecosystems, while still providing support to new and developing ecosystems.

Fostering Learning and Excellence in Charters Schools (FLEX) Act

First, the Fostering Learning and Excellence in Charter Schools (FLEX) Act would create flexibility in how CSP funds can be spent. Under the FLEX Act, state entities (SE) could plan ahead for how they’ll use the portion of the grant reserved for technical assistance, including authorizing support, and begin implementation as soon as the grant is awarded, leading to more meaningful and impact support for authorizers. SE grantees would also have more flexibility in reallocating funds across different subgrant categories, allowing them to adapt to uncertainty, and would allow funds to be used to add or expand curriculum offerings. Ultimately, the FLEX Act would allow CSP grantees to adapt to the needs and demands of changing ecosystems.

Empower Charter School Educators to Lead (LEAD) Act

In addition, the Empower Charter School Educators to Lead (LEAD) Act addresses a challenge identified in NACSA’s Reinvigorating the Pipeline Project: high-quality charter school applications require significant resources that many of the most innovative and community-responsive leaders don’t have. Under the LEAD Act, well-qualified educators would be eligible for one-time grants for pre-application planning, allowing them the resources necessary to submit high-quality, innovative, and community-centered applications to their authorizers.

Equitable Access to School Facilities Act

Finally, the Equitable Access to School Facilities Act seeks to increase accessibility to state and federal charter school facilities programs. Securing a stable, affordable facility can be the biggest challenge for new and expanding charter schools: easing this burden will allow school leaders to keep their focus on the classroom.

We encourage you to learn more about these important bills and, if you can, lend your voices in support to help communicate their importance to policymakers.

As leaders closest to the work of approving and overseeing high-quality schools, your perspective is essential. We are committed to partnering with you to advocate for policies that enable more high-quality options for students and families.