The Charter Schools Program (CSP) was created with a clear, limited purpose: to seed the launch of new charter schools at a time when fewer than 250 existed. Thirty years later, as charter expansion slows to a crawl, CSP is now a half-billion-dollar-a-year federal program.
Now, powerful, greedy charter lobby groups want to turn it into a cash grab.
Here are the bills to oppose:
The FLEX Act (H.R. 7082 / Senate companion) This bill tears down guardrails on how CSP grants can be spent, letting charter schools tap federal funds for everything from transportation to curriculum — expenses public schools cover without special windfalls. It’s a sweetheart deal dressed up as flexibility.
The Equitable Facilities Grant Act (H.R. 7086 / S. 1723) Don’t be fooled by the name. This bill would use federal dollars to coerce states into handing charter schools access to public buildings and facilities funding at below-market rates.
The Empower Charter Educators to Lead Act (H.R. 3453 / S. 1795) . This bill is particularly egregious: it would allow charter operators to pocket stipends of up to $100,000 to plan schools that may never even be approved of open. It also dramatically expands the cut that nonprofit and government pass-through agencies can take from federal grants.
And let’s be clear about the deception fueling all of this.
The National Alliance is actively promoting the myth that charter schools receive just 70% of what public schools get. This is false. In most states, charters now receive equal or greater per-pupil funding than public schools — often with far fewer financial obligations. You can find the multiple taxpayer sources of charter school funding in your state here. Scroll to Financial Drain on Districts and Taxpayers.
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