The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“SUCCESS AND OPPORTUNITY THROUGH QUALITY CHARTER SCHOOLS ACT” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Justice was published in the House of Representatives section on pages H4001-H4009 on May 8, 2014.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
SUCCESS AND OPPORTUNITY THROUGH QUALITY CHARTER SCHOOLS ACT
General Leave
Mr. KLINE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 10.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Rokita). Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Minnesota?
There was no objection.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to House Resolution 576 and rule XVIII, the Chair declares the House in the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union for the consideration of the bill, H.R. 10.
The Chair appoints the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Bishop) to preside over the Committee of the Whole.
{time} 1913
In the Committee of the Whole
Accordingly, the House resolved itself into the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union for the consideration of the bill
(H.R. 10) to amend the Charter School Program under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, with Mr. Bishop of Utah in the chair.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The CHAIR. Pursuant to the rule, the bill is considered read the first time.
The gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Kline) and the gentleman from California (Mr. George Miller) each will control 45 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Minnesota.
Mr. KLINE. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume, and rise today in strong support of the Success and Opportunity through Quality Charter Schools Act, legislation that will support the growth and expansion of successful charter schools.
Mr. Chairman, for many children and their parents, charter schools are a beacon of hope for a better education and a better life. The schools are extraordinarily in demand.
Wait lists for charter schools have grown steadily in recent years, with more than 1 million students' names on wait lists for the 2013-
2014 school year.
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Charter schools have a proven track record of success, encouraging higher academic achievement in even the most troubled school districts.
I recently had the opportunity to visit two impressive charter schools in my home State of Minnesota. At both of the schools, without exception, students were engaged, excited, and eager to learn. I know firsthand this is not a trend unique to charter schools in Minnesota. In fact, each time I visit quality charter schools, whether here in Washington, D.C., or in Prairie Lake, Minnesota, or even Harlem, New York, I have been amazed by the creative curriculum, the outstanding educators, and the students' incredible progress. Clearly, these institutions are a valuable part of a successful education system.
However, the Federal Charter Schools Program is in need of key reforms to enhance access and ensure continued educational quality. That is why I partnered with my colleague, the senior Democrat on the House Education and the Workforce Committee, Mr. Miller, to advance the success and opportunity through the Quality Charter Schools Act. This bipartisan legislation will encourage more States and families to embrace charter schools, while also including several provisions to urge these schools to reach out to special populations, including at-
risk students, children with disabilities, and English learners.
The bill will streamline the Federal Charter Schools Program, while ensuring these institutions remain accountable to families and taxpayers. The bill also expands the allowable use of Federal resources to support not just new charter schools, as under current law, but also replication and expansion of successful charter schools.
Additionally, H.R. 10 will direct charter schools to share best practices with traditional public schools, helping to ensure school leaders are working together to implement successful education practices throughout the community.
Mr. Chairman, as we work to help more students access a quality education, we must support charter schools as a valuable alternative to failing public schools and work together to encourage their growth. This act is a commonsense proposal that will improve educational opportunities for students across the board and provide families with additional school choice options.
I am very pleased that members of the Education and the Workforce Committee have put their differences aside and worked through a very bipartisan process to develop an exceptional piece of legislation. I would like to thank members and staff for these efforts.
I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to join with us in supporting legislation that can have a hugely positive effect on children nationwide.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. I yield myself 5 minutes.
Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong support of H.R. 10.
I want to thank the chairman of the committee for all of his cooperation so we could arrive at this legislation to bring to the floor. I want to thank the staff on both sides of the aisle for all of the time that they spent negotiating this legislation. I am delighted that we are here tonight to consider it.
The Success and Opportunity Through Quality Charter Schools Act, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation. I guess we will be voting tomorrow on it, to vote in support of the legislation.
My support of H.R. 10 is grounded in my commitment to our Nation's public schools and my firm belief that every child in every neighborhood deserves access to a high-quality public education.
This bipartisan legislation would take us one step closer to making the promise of quality public schools for every child a reality.
In many ways, the innovations coming out of the charter school sector are helping to disprove some of the false assumptions about kids who happen to be from the wrong ZIP Code. Charter schools continue to prove that all children, from any background, can succeed. H.R. 10 seeks to build on that success. It will expand opportunities for all children to benefit from charter school innovations.
Along with Chairman Kline, I authored similar legislation last Congress. That legislation served as the basis for this bill which we are considering today and passed out of this Chamber with more than 360 votes.
I am pleased once again to collaborate with Chairman Kline on this reauthorization of the Charter Schools Program. By working together, we have been able to produce a truly bipartisan bill that will bring much-
needed improvements to the only Federal program that supports the startup of public charter schools.
This existing Federal program provides startup funding for public charter schools from States where the public charter schools are permitted that win a competitive grant.
While the Charter Schools Program is in a small, competitive funding stream that reaches a limited number of schools, the program can and should be used as a lever to ensure the quality within the charter school sector, drive collaboration between charter and noncharter public schools, improve State oversight of charter schools to make sure that every public school is equitably serving the most disadvantaged students.
H.R. 10 would refocus the Charter Schools Program to achieve these goals while recognizing and supporting the success of public charter schools. Much of that success comes from the autonomy and flexibility that charter schools have in implementing innovative curricula and instruction. The research is clear: Access to great schools, fantastic instruction, and a safe learning environment matters.
Thousands of public schools across the country, both charter and noncharter, are great schools supported by millions of wonderful educators. Unfortunately, some of our Nation's public schools, both charter and noncharter, fall short.
I have been working on this issue for a long time. For me, it isn't about the quantity of charter schools; it is about the quality of all public schools. Over the years, I have requested numerous GAO reports that examine activities of public charter schools to look at the quality of the services for students who are traditionally underserved, including those with disabilities and English language learners. The results have pointed to the flaws in the charter implementation that shortchanged disadvantaged students.
Our Federal investment in charters must help support and drive improvements in the charter sector. For example, in Denver, when the data showed a discrepancy in the charter school services for students with complex disabilities as compared to noncharters, the district leaders said, ``We can do better.'' Instead of pointing fingers and placing blame, the district leaders and charter leaders collaborated on bringing needed programs and support to students with complex disabilities to all Denver public schools, including the charter schools.
Federal dollars that support charter schools must incentivize this type of collaboration on behalf of our most vulnerable students. The improvements in the Charter Schools Program that are embodied in H.R. 10 would do just that. That is why groups such as National Council of Learning Disabilities and the Consortium of Citizens with Disabilities enthusiastically support this bill. No public school, charter or otherwise, gets a pass when it comes to serving all kids.
H.R. 10 would also ensure that our Federal investment in public charter schools supports only high-quality charters that are serving all students and have demonstrated that they are accountable to parents and communities.
H.R. 10 includes unprecedented quality controls and mechanisms to improve charter authorizing activity and oversight. It challenges States to support and transfer the best practices among all public schools in order to ensure that the benefits of charter schools are reaching all students, not just a few.
This isn't a debate about charter schools. Charter schools are here and they aren't going anywhere. This is about increasing the quality, the equity, and the transparency in the charter sector. The sector is vibrant, and it is now serving more than 2 million students in 42 States and the District of Columbia.
A ``yes'' vote on H.R. 10 is a vote for much-needed program improvements that will help ensure that the Federal dollars supporting public charter schools only flow to quality schools and that those schools live up to the promise of the equitable education of all students.
I urge you to join me, Mr. Chairman, in supporting this bill.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. KLINE. Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Rokita), the chairman of the Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education, who has been doing yeoman's work not only today in the furtherance of a better education for our Nation's children, but every day.
Mr. ROKITA. Mr. Chairman, I thank the chairman and the ranking member as well. Both the chairman and the ranking member have a great bill here, and it deserves the support of this entire body, in my humble opinion.
As chairman of the colloquially called K-12 Subcommittee on Education, it has been my high honor to travel throughout Indiana, and really across the country, to see our public school system, our public charter school system, and the entire framework of how our great American children are educated.
I have come to the conclusion early on, and it is the same one that the chairman and the ranking member have come to, that is, charter schools empower parents to play a more active role in their child's education. It opens doors for teachers to pioneer fresh teaching methods. Charter schools encourage State and local innovation. It helps students escape underperforming schools. The charter school program facilitates the establishment of high quality charter schools and it encourages choice, innovation, and excellence in education.
The current Charter Schools Program, however, does not support the funding for the replication and expansion of high-quality charter schools. The ranking member said it himself that charter schools are here to stay. And we are not about to have a debate over whether or not they should exist. They do. It is about the replication and expansion of them because they work.
This bill is a commonsense approach to updating the Charter Schools Program by streamlining multiple charter school programs, improving their quality, and promoting the growth of the charter schools sector at the State level. The bill also consolidates multiple funding streams and grant programs that support charter schools into the existing State grant program, eliminating a separate authorization for charter school facilities funding.
By consolidating the funding streams into the existing State charter school program, the bill removes authority from the Secretary of Education to pick winners and losers and control the growth of the charter school sector. This authority is placed largely in the hands of States, frankly, where it belongs in the first place.
The bill updates the Charter Schools Program to reflect the success and growth of the charter school movement. States are authorized to use funds under the program to support the replication and expansion of high-quality charter schools in addition to supporting new innovative charter school models.
Finally, Mr. Chair, I would say that this is not a new issue, in fact, this is not a new bill for us. This bill is very similar to charter school provisions included in H.R. 5, the Students Success Act, and to H.R. 2218, the Empowering Parents Through Quality Charter Schools Act, the latter of which passed the House by an overwhelmingly bipartisan vote 365-44.
So for all these reasons, I simply urge my colleagues to support H.R. 10.
Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Mr. Chair, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Polis).
There is no more enthusiastic and informed advocate of public charter schools in this Congress than the gentleman from Colorado. I thank him for all of the work that he put in on both sides of the aisle, working with us to make the improvements in this legislation, and for his support of it.
Mr. POLIS. Mr. Chairman and Mr. Ranking Member, thank you for the kind words.
I want to thank Chairman Kline and Ranking Member Miller for their hard work. Particularly in a week where this body has been divided over issues like Benghazi and Lois Lerner, how wonderful that we can come together around our most underserved kids and families to help extend the hope and opportunity of a quality charter school to more families.
Most Members of this House have already voted for the provisions of this bill. Substantially, a nearly identical bill was included in the Republican ESEA reauthorization, H.R. 5. All but 12 Republicans voted for that bill. Almost identical language was included in the Democratic substitute for ESEA reauthorization as well. Only two Democrats voted against that bill. The vast majority, everybody in this body, except for 14 people in this session, this 113th Congress, have voted for the provisions of this bill.
Those bills, the Democrat substitute and ESEA reauthorization, have an enormous gap between where they were. Democrats and Republicans had a different vision for accountability, the role of the Federal Government, so many issues within that. So why not take language that is nearly identical in both of those bills with regard to reauthorization of the Federal Charter Schools Program and combine it into a standalone bill that can actually pass this body and pass the Senate.
We have done enough of these one-party bills. I know when we were in the majority we did them as well, where the House acts, and we yell at the Senate for not acting; they act, and they yell at us for not acting. Here is a bill, Mr. Chairman, that, with a strong vote on the floor of the House, can send a message to the Senate that while perhaps we cannot agree on the entirety of ESEA reauthorization, yes, we can agree on upgrading the Federal Charter Schools Program first conceived in 1994 to the 2.0 version.
What does that mean, Mr. Chairman? What do these improvements in this bill mean? They are commonsense improvements. They are neither Republican nor Democratic. They simply make the bill better to make sure that our very limited Federal investment that we have, the limited resources we have, is spent and invested in a way to have the maximum possible outcome in ensuring that kids across the country have access to a quality public charter school.
For instance, rather than just supporting the formation of entirely new charter schools that are innovative, under this bill we now allow the funds to be used for expansion and replication of successful models, models that we know work, schools that we know work, schools that are transforming lives and restoring hope to families across our country if only they can expand, if only we can have more to serve kids.
We have also heard from our constituents across the country complaints that some charter schools perhaps don't serve enough special ed students or enough English language learners or enough free and reduced lunch students.
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Under the old language of this authorization that we still have, charter schools that receive these funds are actually prevented from remedying that. They are not allowed to have anything other than a pure lottery with regard to determining their student composition.
What we now allow with this bill is a weighted lottery to give charter schools, in concert with their authorizing entity, the ability to make sure that they can serve the most at-risk kids, pursuant to their mission; they can serve special-needs kids, commensurate with the district averages; they can serve English language learners, and make sure that they can fulfill their mission, rather than have some of those students squeezed out by those who are in a better position to exercise their school choice because they are better informed and better connected.
The underlying bill improves charter school access and services for all students. It truly will help ensure that the limited Federal investment we have makes the biggest single difference for families across our country.
Mr. Chairman, public charter schools are simply public schools with site-based governance. Public charter schools are free to innovate when it comes to scheduling the learning day, uniforms, staffing, curriculum, and yet they are accountable for student outcomes, and this bill adds additional layers of accountability and transparency to ensure that this Federal investment has the maximum possible effect.
I am proud that before I served in this body, Mr. Chairman, I founded two public charter schools--New America School in Colorado, and now New Mexico, and the Academy of Urban Learning in Denver. New American School works with 16- to 21-year-old new immigrants to help them learn the English language and even how to access a college education.
Mr. Chairman, absent a Federal charter school program I don't think I even could have started that charter school. Hundreds and thousands of charter schools that have benefited from this program across the country will tell you the same story.
The CHAIR. The time of the gentleman has expired.
Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Colorado.
Mr. POLIS. Before the State or district money for a public charter school begins, before the doors open, there are expenses. Principals and teachers have to be hired, classrooms have to be configured and outfitted. That is what this money allows. Coupled with strong support from the nonprofit sector and from foundations, we have helped give with this program life to the ideas that have existed in the minds of social entrepreneurs and that have been transformative in the lives of kids and families.
However, Mr. Chairman, not all public charter schools are high quality, just as all district schools are not high quality. That is why H.R. 10 adds strong protections to ensure that public charter schools are accountable that they serve low-income kids and English language learners and at-risk kids.
We invest in quality authorizing practices. What does that mean? Well, there are two possible thoughts in authorizing. An authorizing entity like a district can hand out charters. Too easy? Hand out them out like candy to every Tom, Dick, and Harry that comes in, including low quality providers who have no sense of how to put together a school budget. Or they can lack quality by never handing one out to anybody because they view them as competition with the district.
But a quality authorizing practice is if you have a great idea and evidence that it will work, sound budgetary policy, and a team that will make a public school work for kids, you should be able to receive that charter and operate that school. We raised the bar on authorizing practices, something on which the original authorization for this program was silent.
For those on my side of the aisle who are skeptical of public charter schools, this bill brings stronger protections for oversight, transparency, and accountability. This program, the Federal charter school program, will exist under the old authorization or the new authorization.
I implore my colleagues on my side of the aisle to support the new and better 2.0 version for all of the Democratic priorities. Whether you like charter schools or not, this program is simply better under this bill. This bill has gotten better through every phase of the process--better than the bill in last Congress, better than the bill as part of the ESEA reauthorization of the Republican bill, better than the Democratic substitute. And now as a stand-alone bill, we have the ability to send a message to the Senate and a bill to President Obama's desk.
Mr. KLINE. Mr. Chairman, I must say I so appreciate the depth of knowledge and the enthusiasm and the passion of the gentleman from Colorado. Always a pleasure.
Another great pleasure for me is to yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Messer), another gentleman from Indiana who was traveling with me in my home State visiting charter schools only a few weeks ago.
Mr. MESSER. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of H.R. 10, the Success and Opportunity Through Quality Charter Schools Act.
I want to commend Chairman Kline and Ranking Member Miller for coming together on this important bipartisan legislation.
I also want to thank my good friend from Indiana, Todd Rokita, who chairs the Subcommittee on Elementary and Secondary Education, for his work on this bill, and thank the good Member Polis for his comments as well, and appreciate the opportunity to work with him.
Every child deserves the opportunity to learn. But too many families in America today live in neighborhoods with struggling schools where their children don't have access to a high-quality education. That is why education choice matters.
Lots of kids live in communities with great schools, but too many don't. Parental choice is the ultimate local control. It allows parents to choose the best educational environment for their child, regardless of income, geographic location, or lot in life. The freedom provided by school choice levels the playing field and helps ensure all children have a chance to achieve success in life. As the founder and chairman of the Congressional School Choice Caucus, I am a proponent of all forms of educational choice, including magnet schools, online schools, private schools, home schooling, and traditional public schools.
Charter schools certainly play an integral role in expanding educational freedom. I am very encouraged by this bipartisan legislation which will update the charter school program to reflect the success and growth of successful charter models by supporting the replication, expansion, and opening of new, innovative, high-quality charter schools.
Encouraging the expansion of charter schools is important because they empower parents with another free public school option and are a driving force in creating classroom innovation.
Over the past couple of months, I have had the opportunity to visit several charter schools that are preparing students for success. Just this last month, as the chairman mentioned, I was fortunate enough to join Chairman Kline on his trip to visit the Aspen Academy and the Global Academy charter schools in Minnesota. More recently, I toured the Inspire Academy of Muncie in my district, one of 74 charter schools in Indiana serving more than 28,000 Hoosier students. I was impressed with what I saw: a diverse group of students actively engaged in learning, teachers pioneering fresh teaching methods, and parents heavily involved in their child's education.
In the Declaration of Independence, our Founding Fathers wrote that all men are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights. Chief among those rights is the right to pursue happiness. In modern America, that pursuit begins with a high-quality education. We cannot rest until every child in America has that chance.
I urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan legislation.
Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Loretta Sanchez).
Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of H.R. 10, the Success and Opportunity Through Quality Charter Schools Act, demonstrating that Congress can actually work together to get something done.
I want to thank Chairman Kline and my good friend from California, Ranking Member George Miller, for bringing this forward. I am still waiting for you guys to bring the ESEA to the floor, but I am really thrilled that we are making some critical improvements to the public charter school system.
Charter schools were never meant to replace our traditional public school system, but I have to tell you that they have grown over the last 20 years and I see several of them in my area, just down the street really, making a difference in my community--the Orange County High School of the Arts, for example, and an elementary school called El Sol--all doing great work just under a mile away from me.
It is really great for us to take a look at the Federal law and say: How can we make this even better? Because even though we have great schools, like the ones I just mentioned, there are also some charter schools that have failed or some charter schools that are actually failing our kids, they are not really getting the work done that we thought they would do or that the people who envisioned them thought would be done.
While charter schools work towards encouraging innovation in our public schools, we really need to take a look and see what these schools are doing. H.R. 10 is the first step in highlighting the need for charter schools that improve student outcomes while expanding those schools that are currently utilizing our best practices.
I am also pleased to see that the legislation requires greater charter authorizer accountability and even more pleased that we are finally addressing the under-enrollment of some of our most vulnerable students through the weighted lotteries provision. This is incredibly important in the area where I live, as I have a very urban area.
We hold our traditional public schools accountable for the education of our future leaders, and we expect charter schools to involve the community in their efforts to improve the charter school system. That is why I am happy to have worked with both the majority and the minority on an amendment that I will have tomorrow which will hold public charter schools accountable in fostering and promoting community involvement. We all know that when people are involved, when they are involved in their school, when parents are involved, we see a mass difference in the students who come out of those schools.
Charter schools must be engaged with a local community to understand the students they teach, and my amendment will strengthen that role.
The CHAIR. The time of the gentlewoman has expired.
Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. I yield an additional minute to the gentlewoman from California.
Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. While it is not the final solution, H.R. 10 positively contributes to the promise of a quality education for every child in every neighborhood.
Mr. KLINE. Mr. Chairman, I am pleased to yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Hall).
Mr. HALL. Mr. Chairman, I thank the chairman for the time.
Mr. Chairman, as we celebrate National Teachers Week, I do rise in support of charter schools and the remarkable job they do in advancing high-quality education through innovative approaches in our classrooms across the country. With an increasingly competitive workforce, quality education is more important than ever, and charter schools play a valuable role in the education field.
Charter schools provide parents and students a choice for what best meets the child's needs, classrooms that offer more personalized education, and accountability if the school's achievement goals and metrics are not met.
When I was home over Easter, I had the opportunity to visit the Phoenix Charter School located in Greenville, Texas. Built in 1986, Phoenix Charter School serves over 600 students by providing a creative educational experience, one that integrates fine arts into a strong traditional curriculum.
During my visit, I talked with students who were excited to share their experiences at the school. They told me they were happy to receive a hands-on education in a place that makes them feel at home. More importantly, they are thankful to attend a school that meets their individual living needs. I walked around the campus and was able to see teachers interact with students, and you could see the students were fully engaged in the classroom.
Phoenix Charter School has been recognized by the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools for providing exceptional education to its students, and this recognition is well-deserved.
Parents and educators know best what their students need. If a student can benefit most from a charter school, that student should be able to have that access to that education. I encourage my colleagues to join me in efforts to provide students full access to charter schools and the innovative way they prepare our students for successful futures.
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Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Polis).
Mr. POLIS. Mr. Chairman, I want to discuss today some of the priorities that Democrats have, which are important to Members of my party, which are included in this bill.
I hope that those on my side of the aisle who are listening tonight--
or the capable Education LAs who are listening tonight, who will hopefully advise their bosses to vote ``yes'' tomorrow--will listen to how so many of our Democratic priorities are in the bill.
First of all, this bill makes sure that charter schools do not have entrance requirements, that they don't charge tuition, are not religious, and don't discriminate against students on any basis.
We also make sure that low-performing or financially irresponsible charter schools are closed and that the authorizer intercedes. We also have language in here that gives public charter schools additional tools to make sure that they recruit and serve students with disabilities.
We also improve performance oversight and the management for public charter schools, new provisions about transparency, and evaluation practices. We make sure that each public charter school considers input from parents and community members with regard to the operation of the school.
The public charter schools abide by civil rights laws, in that they can't charge tuition. We make sure that public charter schools have the same audit requirements as traditional public schools, in order to prevent fiscal mismanagement and fraud.
These are some of the reasons, Mr. Chairman, that I encourage my colleagues on my side of the aisle to upgrade this authorization--to upgrade from the version passed in 1994--to a new and better version that incorporates almost two decades of learning about what works and doesn't work within the public charter school movement.
Those on my side of the aisle support good public schools, whether they are district schools, whether they are neighborhood schools, whether they are public magnet schools, whether they are public charter schools, whether they are schools of choice operated by the district. We want to make sure that every family has access to a good, high-
quality public education.
Public charter schools are not the silver bullet alone. They are not going to fix everything that is wrong and that needs to be improved about public education in the country.
What they do offer are examples of hope and opportunity for the kids they serve. Too many families, Mr. Chairman--almost a million families across the country--are languishing on the waiting lists for public charter schools; and they are forced to attend worse schools because the capacity doesn't exist to serve them.
This bill will allow quality public charter schools to expand, to replicate, and to serve more children, in order to help reduce that number. It will make sure that other generations of Americans--
particularly Americans in poverty--are not consigned to lives of reliance on government programs or on an inability to attend college, but to, instead, have every opportunity that this country can provide because they have had a good education.
In the 21st century, Mr. Chairman, a good education is more important than ever for one to be in the American middle class and to live the American Dream. At the very time that it is becoming more important than ever, we need to redouble our efforts to ensure that every family has access to a high-quality school. That is why I encourage my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this bill.
Mr. KLINE. Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Scalise), a man who comes from a State that has learned a great deal about the value of charter schools in these few years.
Mr. SCALISE. I want to thank Chairman Kline and Ranking Member Miller for bringing this legislation to the floor, as it is so important when you talk about the things that we need to do to help give our children better opportunities.
Mr. Chairman, the charter school movement has literally transformed the public education system in New Orleans. If you look at what was happening in the city of New Orleans before Hurricane Katrina, it was the most failed and corrupt public school system in the country.
After Hurricane Katrina--I was in the legislature at the time--many of my colleagues came together, and we passed a charter system that empowered communities to get involved in the education of their children.
What we saw was revolutionary. What we saw were parents finally having options and choices to send their kids to schools that were competing for those children, schools that were actually providing better opportunities.
Before Hurricane Katrina, 75 percent of the students in New Orleans' public schools were attending failing schools, schools that were giving them no opportunity and no hope for their future.
What has happened since with this revolution of the charter school movement in New Orleans? What we have seen is that, now, over 91 percent of the public school students in New Orleans attend charter schools.
What does that really mean for quality? That is ultimately what really matters. What kind of education are these children now being able to get?
As I said before, before Katrina, 75 percent of the students in the public schools in New Orleans were attending failing schools. Today, fewer than 15 percent of those students are attending schools with either a D or an F rating because, now, there is competition.
Parents have multiple options of where to send their kids, and those schools are competing for the students. I visited Hynes Elementary School last week in my district, in the Lakeview part of New Orleans. It is a charter school that is incredibly successful.
You see such enthusiasm from these young kids. They have an over 450-
person waiting list to go to this charter school. It really is working, the fact that you have invoked this competition.
I want to applaud Majority Leader Cantor. Majority Leader Cantor actually came down and toured a number of the charter schools in New Orleans.
Of course, New Orleans is not the only place, but it is probably the place in which you have such a dramatic change--again, a revolution--
that has literally served as the model for how you can transform failed public education systems that were denying students the opportunity to have a future, to achieve that American Dream.
When we talk about opportunities for children, this is not a Republican idea or a Democrat idea. This is our ability to pass on the franchise of the American Dream to our children.
Charter schools have helped expand that opportunity, and that is why it is so important that we pass H.R. 10, so as to help replicate those successful programs and to help highlight what is working with the charter school movement.
You can look to New Orleans and see just how it has transformed people's lives for the better. This is something we need to do. It is great that this is a bipartisan effort.
Again, I applaud Chairman Kline for bringing this bill to the floor.
Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Mr. Chairman, I continue to reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. KLINE. Mr. Chairman, I am now very pleased to yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Paulsen), my colleague from the State of Minnesota, which is where charter schools originated.
Mr. PAULSEN. I would like to thank both Chairman Kline for his leadership, along with Ranking Member Miller, and for their working together to bring this very important legislation to the floor today.
I also need to thank my colleague, Congressman Polis, with whom I cochair the Charter Schools Caucus, for his leadership and passion on education issues.
Mr. Chairman, we need to pass this legislation. This is an opportunity to work together because H.R. 10 will ensure that students' ZIP codes do not determine the quality of their education.
There are too many students across the country who are trapped in failing schools, with little hope of ever escaping. Parents want the best for their children, but many parents are often left with only two options: either an expensive private school or a failing public school. Thankfully, many more families now have this third option of a high-
quality charter school.
Recently, I had the chance to visit Beacon Preparatory School in Bloomington, Minnesota, which is in my district. While there, I saw students who were thriving in their classes. I saw dedicated teachers. I saw challenging academics.
Charter schools are not tied down by a lot of bureaucratic red tape or by outdated traditions. In fact, charter schools are creating very new and innovative ways of learning that can help grab students' attention and make them more excited to learn.
Mr. Chairman, in too many States, that debate has sometimes been public schools versus charter schools, but it does not have to be that way. Public schools and charter schools can coexist to make the system better.
As Chairman Kline noted, in our home State of Minnesota, we were the pioneers for the charter school movement 22 years ago. It is an example of how this system can absolutely work, and we have a rich tradition of providing a world-class education to our students in both public schools and charter schools.
Charter schools are continuing to grow. In 2007, there were nearly 1.3 million students enrolled in charter schools around the country. As we debate this legislation today, there are 6,500 charter schools that are now enrolling 2.5 million students across the country, but here is the thing: there are 1 million students on waiting lists to enter into these charter schools.
The legislation before us today focuses on the expansion and replication of high-quality charter schools. It concentrates on charter school models that have had a proven record of success in order to raise the bar for everyone and to ensure that those who attend charter schools will receive the best education possible.
Mr. Chairman, this is an opportunity that we have today to show the American people we are committed at the Federal level in helping to produce the best educational opportunities for all students, so let's vote to make sure that a child's ZIP code does not determine the quality of his education.
Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Mr. Chairman, I continue to reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. KLINE. Mr. Chairman, I am now pleased to yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Tennessee, Dr. Roe, the chairman of the Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions.
Mr. ROE of Tennessee. I thank the chairman.
Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong support of H.R. 10, the Success and Opportunity through Quality Charter Schools Act, and I am going to sound like a recording because you are going to hear a lot of the same themes in this.
Today, there are an estimated 1 million students on waiting lists to attend public charter schools. These students and their families believe that their educational needs are not being met by their current schools.
While many of our public schools are doing a great job, too many others are failing our children. These kids deserve the opportunity to receive a top-notch education, and they cannot wait as we work to improve these underperforming schools. They don't have the time.
Public charter schools provide students with the opportunity to escape underperforming schools, while also giving parents more control over their children's education. To ensure more access to these innovative institutions, the Success and Opportunity through Quality Charter Schools Act supports the replication or expansion of existing high-quality charter schools.
H.R. 10 streamlines and modernizes our charter schools program, providing our Nation's public charter schools with the flexibility needed to encourage innovation at the State and local levels.
H.R. 10 supports the sharing of best practices between charter and traditional public schools. In this way, all public school students, not just charter school students, benefit from the innovation at these institutions.
I am proud of the educators and students in my home State of Tennessee and of their accomplishments in improving education in our State. Since 2003, Tennessee has increased its high school graduation rate by 17 points to 87 percent. This is commendable, but it is not enough. We can and should do more, and charter schools must be part of the discussion.
Since 2002, Tennessee has opened more than 45 charter schools, giving nearly 12,000 students the opportunity to attend these innovative institutions.
Tennessee's public charter schools serve 87 percent low-income and 96 percent minority students from economically disadvantaged areas, providing school choice to the students who need it the most.
Just like Tennessee, we, as a Nation, must fully embrace all of the tools available, including charter schools, to ensure our students' success.
Mr. Chairman, I spent 24 years in the public school system. I never attended a private school. The opportunity for students like me who are first generation students--college students--to be able to get a great, basic public education is really the future of our country. I think our very future depends on that.
Also, while I am here, I want to thank both the chairman, Ranking Member Miller, Mr. Polis, and the rest of the committee for circling around this extremely important piece of legislation because students in the first or second or third grade cannot afford a failing school. They have to be allowed to go into a school where they can be successful.
With that, Mr. Chairman, I strongly urge my colleagues to support H.R. 10.
Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Mr. Chairman, I continue to reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. KLINE. Mr. Chairman, I would now like to yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Sanford).
Mr. SANFORD. I thank the chairman.
Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of this bill.
I would just like to thank, indeed, the chairman and the members of the committee for their great work on it. At the end of the day, it represents expanded choice in education, and that whole notion of increasing and expanding the marketplace in education, I think, is vital for a couple of different reasons.
I think it is vital, one, because it is better for students. I think it is vital because the local control of education matters. Ultimately, I think it is vital from the standpoint of improving and increasing the level of innovation that we see in the educational marketplace. Let me expand on those thoughts just over a couple of minutes.
One is that it is vital for students because God makes every child different. When I was working in politics in South Carolina, we passed a rather major charter school bill.
We now have over 60 charter schools in South Carolina--right at 60 charter schools in South Carolina. What it did was it tailor-made for students applications that fit who they were.
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So, in some cases, if they wanted to work on leadership, they could do so. In some cases, if they wanted to work on mathematics or English or technology or the arts, they had venues by which to specialize in that which God wired them to do.
So, one, this idea of increased choices for the students that are out there, I think it is vital.
Two, I think it is absolutely vital to the larger notion of local control.
People invest in things that they have a say in, that they have a voice in. What we saw in choice in South Carolina and expanded choices on the charter school front was that parents indeed got more deeply involved.
I have not just seen that in South Carolina. I have seen it in different spots across the country, whether that is KIPP Academy or whether that is the old Marva Collins School up toward Milwaukee. It is interesting to see the way in which parents would invest in their child's education when they had a little bit more control and a little bit more voice. That is true, again, at Bridges Academy in Beaufort, South Carolina, or KIPP Academy out toward Houston.
Finally, I would make this point. It is absolutely vital to innovation in education, because the old saying is, the definition of insanity is keep on doing the same thing and expect a different result.
This idea of changing the educational paradigm so that there are more choices for kids and parents out there is absolutely critical to competitiveness in this country.
Look at the numbers. I pulled some of them. We are behind Liechtenstein, Vietnam, and Iceland with regard to mathematics in global scores. We are behind Poland, Luxembourg, and Estonia with regard to reading scores in global scores.
We are behind Canada, we are behind the United Kingdom, we are behind Slovenia, we are behind France. We are behind a whole host of different places in scores on the science front.
And so if we are going to change that, if we are going to be competitive in this global competition for jobs, capital, and the way of life, it is vital that we have bills like this.
For that reason, I applaud the work of the committee.
Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. KLINE. Mr. Chairman, I just want to say that it has been a pleasure to work on this legislation. We have heard compelling stories here today from around the country--compelling stories of transformation of entire cities and school systems, and lives being changed through the charter school system. And we have legislation here today and tomorrow which will make that Federal charter school law better and make the opportunities more available and give more kids a chance for success and opportunity.
This should be an easy vote for Republicans and Democrats. I urge my colleagues to lend their support to H.R. 10, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Chair, I rise to speak during House consideration of H.R. 10, the ``Success and Opportunity through Quality Charter Schools Act.''
Jackson Lee Amendments to H.R. 10
I have long supported the need for better data on the experiences of children that Congress could use when deliberating on legislative measures intended to benefit our youngest citizens.
Charter Schools are a new addition to education options available to parents and their children. It is important that Congress ensures that the benefit of a good free pre-K-12 education is available to all parents and children of this nation.
The Education and the Workforce Committee included language in the amendment in the form of a substitute for the bill that reflected an amendment I intended to offer. The language in the bill that adds rates of student attrition as a measure to be considered by charter school authorizers in monitoring the successes of schools is appreciated and will help gain additional insight into children's education.
Attrition data would help us better understand the impact of charter schools on student retention. It would also bring additional transparency regarding the drivers of attrition issues such as discipline, counseling, drop-outs, bullying, as well as the impact of learning disabilities like dyslexia on student retention.
Although the data reporting is not mandatory, it is my hope that charter school districts and charter schools will take up the challenge of providing hard data to make the case for their approaches to education.
I offered two amendments for consideration by the House Rules Committee that would strengthen the legislative goals of H.R. 10.
The amendments were simple and were an important addition to this strong bipartisan effort from the Education and Workforce Committee to bring clarity and improve transparency of charter schools in communities around the nation.
Jackson Lee Amendment No. 1
The Jackson Lee amendment made in order by the Rules Committee for debate of this bill directs State Education Agencies that award federally funded grants to charter schools under this bill to work with those schools so that they provide information on their websites regarding student recruitment, orientation materials, enrollment criteria, student discipline policies, behavior codes, and parent contract requirements, which should include any financial obligations such as fees for tutoring, and extra-circular activities.
This amendment will make it possible for parents to learn more about how schools deal with important education issues such as academic performance, enrichment programs, and quality of education life issues programs for children with learning disabilities like dyslexia are taught.
Many charter schools already provide this information, and the amendment would support this good transparency practice. This Jackson Lee amendment is good for parents and for charter schools because parents would have access to information that helps them make education decisions for their children; and charter schools would speak to a larger audience regarding their education programs.
Jackson Lee Amendment No. 2
The second Jackson Lee amendment was a ``Sense of the Congress'' on the promotion of, and support for anti-bullying programs in charter schools, including those serving rural communities. I regret that this amendment was not made in order by the Rules Committee because the prevention of bullying is one of the most challenging problems facing school officials.
Bullying is not a new behavior. Kids have been exposed to bullying in school for generations. Now, however, bullying has taken on new heights and sometimes victims of bullies suffer severe and lasting consequences.
For victims of bullying, they go to school every day facing harassment, taunting, and humiliation. Studies show that 25-35% of teens encountered some type of bullying in their lifetime. Bullying is a form of violent behavior that happens not only in the schools but everywhere.
The National Center for Educational Studies reports show that 14 percent of 12- to 18-year-olds surveyed report being victims of direct or indirect bullying. 1 out of 4 kids is bullied. The Department of Justice reports that 1 out of every 4 kids will be abused by another youth.
I introduced H.R. 2585, the Juvenile Accountability Block Grant Reauthorization and the Bullying Prevention and Intervention Act of 2013. This bill amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 by expanding the juvenile accountability block grant program with respect to programs for the prevention of bullying to include intervention programs. The bill's objective is to reduce and prevent bullying and establish best practices for all activities that are likely to help reduce bullying among young people.
This year a million children will be teased, taunted, and physically assaulted by their peers. Bullying the most common form of violence faced by our nation's youth.
The frequency and intensity of bullying that young people face are astounding: 1 in 7 Students in Grades K-12 is either a bully or a victim of bullying; 90% of 4th to 8th Grade Students report being victims of bullying of some type; 56% of students have personally witnessed some type of bullying at school; 71% of students report incidents of bullying as a problem at their school; 15% of all students who don't show up for school report it to being out of fear of being bullied while at school; 1 out of 20 students has seen a student with a gun at school; 282,000 students are physically attacked in secondary schools each month.
Consequences of bullying: 15% of all school absenteeism is directly related to fears of being bullied at school; according to bullying statistics, 1 out of every 10 students who drops out of school does so because of repeated bullying; suicides linked to bullying are the saddest statistic.
Statistics on Gun Violence: homicide is the 2nd leading cause of death for young people ages 15 to 24 years old; homicide is the leading cause of death for African Americans between ages 10 and 24; thirteen young people from ages 10-24 become victims of homicide every day; 82.8% of those youths were killed with a firearm; every 30 minutes, a child or teenager in America is injured by a gun; every 3 hours and 15 minutes, a child or teenager loses their life to a firearm; in 2010, 82 children under 5 years of age lost their lives due to guns; one of four high school males reportedly carry a weapon to school, with 8.6% of reportedly carry a gun; 87% of youth said shootings are motivated by a desire to ``get back at those who have hurt them, and 86% said, ``other kids picking on them, making fun of them or bullying them'' causes teenagers to turn to lethal violence in the schools; in 2011, over 707,000 young people, aged 10 to 24 years, had to be rushed to the emergency room as a result of physical assault injuries.
Victims of bullying often suffer in silence and parents are the last ones to know that their child is being bullied or may be a bully. What once was thought to be a childhood ritual has been proven by school psychologists, law enforcement officials, parents, and students to be much more serious.
Anti-bullying programs can help children understand the seriousness of bullying; and assist parents in learning the signs of bullying as well as learning how to speak to their children about the issue of bullying.
H.R. 10 will consolidate two existing federal charter school programs into one:
The Charter School Program, which supports grants for charter school developers to open new charter schools. The program also provides funds to disseminate best practices and provide state facilities aid to charter schools.
The Charter School Credit Enhancement Program assists charter schools in accessing better credit terms to acquire and renovate facilities to operate a charter school.
The rule will allow the consideration of the bill that will create a new federal charter schools program to promote high-quality charter schools at the state and local level; and allows states to use federal funds to start new charter schools as well as expand and replicate existing high-quality charter schools.
The bill adds a new component--a Charter Management Organization grant program to support the opening of additional charter schools nationwide.
H.R. 10 establishes a new Charter School Program that would consist of three parts:
Grants to support high-quality charter schools will be awarded to a State Educational Agency, the State Charter School Board, the Governor, or a Charter School Support Organization.
Facilities Aid will be awarded to continue credit enhancement activities and support state facilities aid for charter schools.
National Activities will allow the secretary of education to operate a grant competition for charter schools in states that did not win or compete for a state grant and a competition for high quality CMOs.
The legislation adds five new definitions: a ``charter management organization, a charter support organization'', a ``high-quality charter school''; the ``expansion of a high-quality charter school''; and a ``replicable, high-quality charter school model.''
H.R. 10 authorizes $300,000,000 for fiscal years 2015 through 2020. The bill permits state-determined weighted lotteries and allows students to continue in the school program of their choice by clarifying students in affiliated charter schools can attend the next immediate grade in that network's school.
I strongly believe that where our children are concerned, Congress is in a unique position to advocate on their behalf in an effective and forceful way. Letting children know by our actions that members of Congress consider the lives of children and their experience to be of the utmost importance would help them in countless ways.
We cannot gamble with our children's future, and ultimately the future of our nation. I am committed to finding ways to make sure that education is as valued as national defense--because education is crucial to our nation's global success in all areas.
Mr. McCARTHY of California. Mr. Chair, education remains one of the greatest keys to success in our society, yet there are children across the nation without access to a good school.
There is no single cure. No child or community is the same. And often the educational solutions in one community won't fit those in another.
But there are local solutions already working across the nation.
Recently, I spoke with my friend, Barbara Grimm-Marshall, a successful businesswoman with their family company Grimmway Farms.
For years her family funded college scholarships for the children of her employees, but every year applications for that scholarship were low.
She found that when kids in Arvin, CA were old enough to go to college, most were not ready. Committed to the belief that every child should have a bright future, she took action.
That is why, in 2011, Barbara took it upon herself to offer children in the community the opportunity to achieve a successful. She opened a charter school.
She had never run a school herself, so she did what we are trying to promote today; she replicated a successful school, Rocketship Charter School in San Jose.
After only 3 years, Grimmway Academy was a California Distinguished School whose students had the highest test scores in the district. Grimmway Academy is proof that new ideas and innovation works to help our children.
Sadly, the lack of educational opportunity exists in too many towns. We have an obligation to expand educational opportunities and school choice so that every child has the chance to attend a successful school.
I applaud my colleagues John Kline and George Miller for coming together and sponsoring this legislation.
Education transcends political boundaries, and this House will continue to work toward solutions to ensure the next generation, no matter their circumstance, is afforded every opportunity for a better life.
Mr. HINOJOSA. Mr. Chair, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 10, the ``Success and Opportunity Through Quality Charter Schools Act.''
Mr. Speaker, I support this bill because it strengthens the Federal Charter School Program (CSP) and promotes quality, accountability and equity for public charter schools participating in the Federal Charter School Program.
H.R. 10 requires public charter schools to be of ``high quality'' in order to receive Charter School Program funds to open, replicate or expand. Under this bill, ``high quality'' charter schools must show evidence of strong academic results for all students.
H.R. 10 promotes quality in charter school authorizing. This bill requires state entities to have in place or be working toward a charter school authorizing system that utilizes a process for approval, monitoring, re-approval or revocation of authority of public charter school authorizers in the state, based on performance of the schools authorized by the agency.
Mr. Speaker, the underlying bill prioritizes equity of access and services for disadvantaged students, including english learners and students with disabilities.
H.R. 10, for example, allows grantees to utilize weighted lotteries, when permitted by state law, to preference admissions for educationally disadvantaged students.
Along the same lines, this legislation requires that state entities receiving a CSP grant provide technical assistance to any charter schools receiving funds to ensure they fully understand federal requirements for serving underserved student populations.
Finally, I am pleased that the underlying bill requires that state entities receiving a Charter School Program grant describe how they will ensure that all charter schools receiving CSP funds through its grant will meet the educational needs of students with disabilities and english language learners.
In my view, these improvements to the Federal Charter School Program enhance quality, accountability, and equity for charter schools participating in the federal CSP program and ensure that only states with strong oversight will receive CSP federal dollars.
In my congressional district, public charter schools like IDEA public schools are transforming lives. Under the extraordinary leadership of Tom Torkelson and JoAnn Gama, IDEA public schools are closing achievement gaps, increasing high school graduation rates, and preparing students for college and careers. At this time, I personally want to thank them for their outstanding work in the Riio Grande Valley of South Texas.
In closing, I commend Chairman Kline and ranking member Miller for their tremendous leadership on this bipartisan bill and urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support the passage of H.R. 10.
Mrs. McMORRIS RODGERS. Mr. Chair, I rise in strong support for H.R. 10, the Student Success and Opportunity through Quality Charter Schools Act, and the promise that charter schools hold to ensure that all students are able to reach their full potential.
Let me also take this opportunity to congratulate Washington State and the eight charter schools that have been certified to open in the state within the next two years, including PRIDE Prep Charter School in Spokane. Washington State has made significant reforms to its educational system and should be recognized for its efforts.
Charter schools are about empowerment and opportunity. Giving parents the ability to meet the needs of their children, particularly those students who are disadvantaged, have special needs, or are English Language Learners.
I know firsthand the benefits of a charter school education. My own son, Cole, was enrolled in Apple Tree charter school here in DC and he flourished. Apple Tree was able to provide him with an innovative education that was targeted to meet his needs. All parents should have this choice and opportunity for their children.
H.R. 10 moves us in that direction by encouraging states to expand and replicate high performing charter schools. It gives security to states and school boards that space will be available to build schools or rehabilitate them. Finally, H.R. 10 encourages the distribution of best of practices to ensure all schools have access to critical information.
No one in this Chamber would argue that a strong education system is foundational to keeping our nation competitive and a leader in the 21st century and beyond. And, no one will argue that a strong, quality education for our children is integral for their growth, their development and their success for whatever path they choose. H.R. 10 takes us toward that goal.
I encourage my colleagues to support H.R. 10.
The Acting CHAIR. All time for general debate has expired.
Mr. KLINE. Mr. Chair, I move that the Committee do now rise.
The motion was agreed to.
Accordingly, the Committee rose; and the Speaker pro tempore (Mr. Massie) having assumed the chair, Mr. Bishop of Utah, Chair of the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union, reported that that Committee, having had under consideration the bill (H.R. 10) to amend the charter school program under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, had come to no resolution thereon.
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