On Thursday July 18th, the U.S. House of Representatives began consideration of H.R. 5, the Student Success Act. This bill reauthorizes the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), currently known as No Child Left Behind. The House bill was written by Chairman John Kline (R-MN) and Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education Chairman Todd Rokita (R-IN).
The National Alliance for Public Charter Schools (NAPCS) is pleased that the provisions related to public charter schools in H.R. 5 and the Democratic substitute reflect much of the bipartisan work from H.R. 2218, which the House passed in 2011. We are hopeful that that the reauthorization of ESEA will significantly expand support for both the creation of new charter schools and the replication of high quality charter schools. The National Alliance commends the Student Success Act for:
Requiring states and LEAs to develop their Title I plans in consultation with charter school leaders
Adding charter support organizations as eligible entities for state grants
Reducing sub grants from five years to three years, and
Requiring the Secretary of Education to consult with charter school representatives when issuing non-regulatory guidance.
The National Alliance will continue to work with Chairman Kline and Representative Miller on:
Authorizing a competitive grant program to replicate and expand high-performing charter schools, and
Ensuring that charter schools receive their equitable share of federal formula grants.
Finally, the National Alliance urges an increase in CSP funding so that federal funding meets the high parental demand for the growth of the movement. Currently, the NAPCS estimates that there are over 920,000 names on waiting lists. By encouraging increased funding for CSPwe can begin to reduce the size of these lists. Again, the National Alliance applauds the work of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce and looks forward to working with Congress on the reauthorization of ESEA.
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