Success and Opportunity through Quality Charter Schools Act

Content sourced from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Success and Opportunity through Quality Charter Schools Act - simple summary

What the bill is
- A proposed law to update and extend federal support for charter schools by combining two programs into one and funding them through 2020 (and automatically extending to 2021). It would raise the total funding for these programs from about $250 million to $300 million per year.

Key goals
- Streamline how grants are given to support opening new charter schools and expanding high-quality existing ones.
- Improve access to credit and financing for charter school facilities.
- Give states, charter school boards, and support organizations more power to help charter schools grow while aiming for better results for students.

How funding and programs would work
- Grants would flow to state education agencies or similar entities, which would then subgrant to charter school developers.
- At least 7% of grant funds must be used to help subgrantees with technical assistance and to improve charter school authorization.
- Grants and subgrants would last up to five years. Subgrants would give each charter school no more than 18 months to plan and design.
- A grantee could receive only one grant in a five-year period. A subgrantee could receive only one subgrant per charter school in five years unless the school shows at least three years of improved student results.
- Applications would be reviewed by a peer panel to ensure quality. Grants would be awarded with attention to geographic diversity and a variety of educational approaches. Waivers could be allowed if they help the charter program without compromising core requirements.
- The parts that support financing for charter school facilities would be merged into a single program. Grants would go to the highest-quality applications while considering diversity.

Credit enhancement and facilities
- The bill would limit administrative costs to 2.5% of the grant funds.
- States could partner with organizations to cover up to 50% of the state share for facilities funding and could receive more than one grant if each grant increases funding for charter schools.
- States that must provide access to suitable space for charter schools could qualify for help even if their state law doesn’t yet have a per-pupil facilities program, as long as they commit to creating one.

Other provisions
- The Secretary of Education would run national activities to support the program.
- Rules would require fast transfer of student records when students move between charter schools or back to traditional public schools.
- Charter schools could serve prekindergarten or postsecondary students.
- A charter management organization (CMO) would be defined as a nonprofit that manages a network of charter schools with centralized support.
- The act would reauthorize funding through 2020 for the charter program and related credit enhancements, with most funds split among program grants, credit enhancements, and national activities.

Funding details
- From the $300 million yearly total: about 12.5% for credit enhancements and the facilities program, up to 10% for national activities, and the rest for the main charter school grant program.

Legislative history in brief
- Introduced in the House as H.R. 10 on April 1, 2014 by Rep. John Kline (R-MN).
- Passed the House on May 9, 2014, by a vote of 360–45.
- Referred to the Senate for consideration after passing the House.
- Supporters argued the bill would create more opportunities for students and help reduce waiting lists for charter schools.
- Critics worried about federal overreach into charter policy and whether the funding and rules would keep true flexibility and local control.

In short
The Success and Opportunity through Quality Charter Schools Act aims to make federal support for charter schools more streamlined and generous, with stronger accountability and clearer pathways for expansion, financing, and better student outcomes.