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Provides new and expanded federal support to help States and charter schools pay for, improve, and access school facilities. The legislation amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act to authorize state-level facilities aid, expand facility financing and technical assistance, permit limited revolving loan funds for start-up and capital needs, and require multi-year reporting from prior grantees. It directs federal grant programs to prioritize safe, code-compliant buildings and targeted supports (including rural, early-stage, disability‑serving, and innovative charter schools), adds state-level flexibility for financing, and requires annual operational reports for 10 years from entities that previously received certain grants.
Support the creation and implementation of State policies, and the expansion of existing State policies, to improve the quality and affordability of charter school facilities by providing funding and financing for those facilities and expanding charter schools’ access to public buildings.
Support the creation and implementation of State policies, and the expansion of existing State policies, to authorize the provision of technical assistance that will support the growth and expansion of high-quality charter schools.
Amends Section 4302(b)(1) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 by inserting text before an existing provision. The specific text to be inserted is not present in the provided section.
Amends Section 4304(a)(1) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 by striking text from that subsection. The specific text to be struck is not present in the provided section.
Amend Section 4304 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7221c) by striking subsection (k).
Who is affected and how:
Charter schools: Directly benefit from expanded access to funding, financing tools, revolving loan capacity, technical assistance, and increased ability to access public buildings. They may be better able to open, renovate, or maintain safe, code-compliant facilities.
State governments and education agencies: Gain authority to run or design State facilities aid programs and may set up revolving loan funds. They will administer grants and must implement new program rules and oversight. They may experience administrative workload to manage funds and reporting.
Students and families served by charter schools: Likely to benefit from improved school buildings and potential expansion of high‑quality charter seats, especially in targeted communities (rural, early-stage, disability-serving).
Authorizers and local education systems: Will be affected by provisions strengthening authorizer quality and oversight, and by potential shifts in facility availability that influence local school choice and capacity.
Local districts and traditional public schools: May experience indirect effects from charter school growth and facility financing changes (competition for facilities or shifts in enrollment), depending on local context.
Grant recipients and past grantees: Face a new long-term reporting obligation (annual reporting for 10 years) which creates compliance and documentation responsibilities.
Lenders, nonprofit developers, and community finance partners: Could see increased opportunities to participate in facility financing, revolving loan programs, and public–private facility projects for charter schools.
Overall effects and tradeoffs:
Amends 20 U.S.C. 7221b (Section 4303) to (1) add a new subsection (b)(3) authorizing assistance to locate/access facilities and one-time assistance to ensure facilities comply with local building codes and support a high-quality education; (2) change allocation percentages in subsection (c)(1) by reducing the minimum share for subgrants from 90 percent to 80 percent and adding a new subparagraph permitting reservation of up to 10 percent to establish a revolving loan fund for certain loans (initial operations and facility acquisition/renovation/rehabilitation); and (3) replace paragraph (3) of subsection (h) to specify carrying out repair, renovation, or construction activity to ensure a school building complies with applicable statutes and regulations and is equipped to support provision of a high-quality education.
Amends 20 U.S.C. 7221d(a)(3): replaces wording in subparagraph (A), inserts unspecified text into subparagraph (B), redesignates existing subparagraph (C) as (D), and inserts a new subparagraph (C) enumerating support activities related to charter school facilities, authorizer quality, State authorization legislation within 5 years prior to grant award, and best practices for early-stage planning and certain student populations and innovative models.
Strikes existing subparagraph (A) of 20 U.S.C. 7221c(h)(2) and inserts a new requirement that certain grantees submit annual reports.
Strikes subsection (k) of 20 U.S.C. 7221c and inserts a new subsection (k).
Amends 20 U.S.C. 7221a(b)(1) by inserting text before the existing subsection.
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Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
Introduced May 13, 2025 by Bill Cassidy · Last progress May 13, 2025
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
Introduced in Senate