On the basis of a sample of charter school authorizers of various types, almost no PCSP subgrant money is retained by these entities, although a local educational agency may be the fiscal agent for a subgrant. Eligibility for subgrants varies among states. Most states allow subgrants to groups that have obtained full or provisional charters even if the school has not opened. Some states have established priority factors that play a role in the subgrant proposal review process. However, very few states place priority on making PCSP awards to charter schools serving low-income communities.
Priority is more likely to be given to schools serving special student populations.
According to state respondents, uses of the subgrant funds are largely unrestricted. This perception must be triangulated with the views of the subgrantees in a later data collection period. For this report, states were asked an open-ended question about their knowledge of the specific uses of PCSP subgrants. Much more about this question will be learned from an upcoming telephone survey of a representative sample of charter schools. This report covers a period when the National Study of Charter Schools, funded by ED and conducted by RPP International, continued to bear the responsibility for documenting the explosive growth of the charter school movement.