The U.S. Department of Education announced today that it has reigned in the federal government’s influence over state Charter School Program (CSP) grant awards. The Department removed a requirement set by the Biden Administration that the U.S. Secretary of Education review information on how states approve select entities’ (e.g., private colleges and universities) authorization of charter schools in states where they are already lawful authorizers. This action returns educational authority to the states, reduces burdensome red tape, and expands school choice options for students and families.
South Carolina Superintendent of Education Ellen Weaver said in response, “After over a year of debate, what a wonderful breath of fresh air it has been to see the Department of Education under President Trump’s leadership return to respecting state authority regarding our charter school P&I grants. This decision will allow states like South Carolina to innovate and expand on high-quality charter schools in our state. President Trump’s Department of Education is already making a difference.”
Background:
Under the Biden Administration, these unnecessary conditions and overly bureaucratic requests for information required CSP grantees to provide additional information to the former Secretary of Education for these entities—already permitted under charter school state law—to authorize CSP-funded charter schools.
Charter schools located in states such as South Carolina and Utah also faced new requests for information that exceeded the standards typically outlined in the CSP Notices Inviting Applications. State educational agencies in these states were tasked with providing superfluous information to the previous administration to demonstrate that they were adequately overseeing the authorizing practices of these private entities. In reality, the Department was overstepping its role and substituting its judgment for that of the states.
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