I 
114TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3795 
To improve certain provisions relating to charter schools. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
OCTOBER 21, 2015 
Mr. RYAN of Ohio introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Education and the Workforce 
A BILL 
To improve certain provisions relating to charter schools. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Charter School Ac-
countability Act of 2015’’. 
SEC. 2. GENERAL PROVISIONS. 
Title V of the Elementary and Secondary Education 
Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7201 et seq.) is amended— 
(1) by striking the title heading and inserting 
‘‘EMPOWERING 
PARENTS 
AND 
EX-
PANDING OPPORTUNITY THROUGH IN-
NOVATION’’; 
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(2) by striking part A; 
(3) by striking subparts 2 and 3 of part B; 
(4) by redesignating parts B and C as parts A 
and B, respectively; 
(5) in part A, as redesignated by paragraph 
(4), by striking ‘‘Subpart 1—Charter School 
Programs’’; 
(6) by redesignating sections 5201 through 
5211 as sections 5101 through 5111, respectively; 
(7) by redesignating sections 5301 through 
5307 as sections 5201 through 5207, respectively; 
(8) by striking sections 5308 and 5310; and 
(9) by redesignating sections 5309 and 5311 as 
sections 5208 and 5209, respectively. 
SEC. 3. PUBLIC CHARTER SCHOOLS. 
Part A of title V of the Elementary and Secondary 
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7221 et seq.), as redes-
ignated by section 2(4), is amended by striking sections 
5101 through 5105, as redesignated by section 2(6), and 
inserting the following: 
‘‘SEC. 5101. PURPOSE. 
‘‘It is the purpose of this part to— 
‘‘(1) provide authorization and support for pub-
lic charter schools providing elementary or secondary 
education as a means to test and learn from innova-
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tions aimed at improving the education of all stu-
dents and strengthening public education; 
‘‘(2) evaluate the impact of such schools on stu-
dent achievement, families, and communities, and 
share best practices among charter schools and other 
public schools; 
‘‘(3) expand opportunities for children with dis-
abilities, students who are English learners, and 
other traditionally underserved students to attend 
charter schools and meet the challenging State aca-
demic standards under section 1111(b)(1); and 
‘‘(4) support efforts to strengthen the charter 
school authorizing process to improve performance 
management, including transparency, monitoring, in-
cluding financial audits, and evaluation of such 
schools. 
‘‘SEC. 5102. PROGRAM AUTHORIZED. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may award grants 
to eligible State educational agencies having applications 
approved pursuant to section 5103(f) to enable such agen-
cies to conduct a charter school grant program in accord-
ance with this part, by— 
‘‘(1) supporting the startup of charter schools 
that are evaluated by the charter school authorizer 
for quality and local impact; 
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‘‘(2) supporting the replication and expansion 
of high-quality charter schools; 
‘‘(3) assisting charter schools in accessing cred-
it to acquire and renovate facilities for school use; 
and 
‘‘(4) carrying out national activities to sup-
port— 
‘‘(A) the dissemination of best and prom-
ising practices between and among magnet, tra-
ditional district, and charter schools; 
‘‘(B) the evaluation of the impacts of the 
charter school program under this part on edu-
cational quality and equity for students, and 
the overall strength of public education in local 
communities; and 
‘‘(C) stronger charter school authorizing. 
‘‘(b) FUNDING
ALLOTMENT.—From the amount 
made available under section 5113 for a fiscal year, the 
Secretary shall— 
‘‘(1) reserve 12.5 percent to support charter 
school facilities assistance under section 5104; 
‘‘(2) reserve not more than 25 percent to carry 
out sections 5103A and 5105; and 
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‘‘(3) use the remaining amount after the res-
ervations under paragraphs (1) and (2) to carry out 
section 5103. 
‘‘(c) PRIOR GRANTS AND SUBGRANTS.—The recipi-
ent of a grant or subgrant under this part (as such part 
was in effect on the day before the date of enactment of 
the Charter School Accountability Act of 2015) shall con-
tinue to receive funds in accordance with the terms and 
conditions of such grant or subgrant. 
‘‘SEC. 5103. GRANTS TO SUPPORT HIGH-QUALITY CHARTER 
SCHOOLS. 
‘‘(a) PROGRAM AUTHORIZED.—From the amount 
available under section 5102(b)(3), the Secretary shall 
award, on a competitive basis, grants to eligible State edu-
cational agencies having applications approved under sub-
section (f) to enable such eligible State educational agen-
cies to— 
‘‘(1) award subgrants to eligible applicants to 
enable such eligible applicants to— 
‘‘(A) support the startup of charter schools 
that are thoroughly vetted by the authorizer for 
quality and local impact; 
‘‘(B) replicate or expand high-quality char-
ter schools, which may include— 
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‘‘(i) supporting the acquisition, expan-
sion, or preparation of a charter school 
building to meet increasing enrollment 
needs, including financing the development 
of a new building and ensuring that a 
school building complies with applicable 
statutes and regulations; 
‘‘(ii) paying costs associated with hir-
ing additional teachers to serve additional 
students; 
‘‘(iii) providing transportation to stu-
dents to and from the charter school; 
‘‘(iv) providing instructional materials, 
implementing teacher and principal or 
other school leader professional develop-
ment programs, and hiring additional non-
teaching staff; 
‘‘(v) supporting any necessary activi-
ties that assist the charter school in car-
rying out this section; and 
‘‘(vi) providing early childhood edu-
cation programs for children, including di-
rect support to, and coordination with, 
school or community based early childhood 
education programs; or 
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‘‘(C) in the case of the closure or dissolu-
tion of a charter school, transfer students and 
student records to another school in the school 
district in which the charter school is located; 
and 
‘‘(2) provide technical assistance to eligible ap-
plicants and charter school authorizers in carrying 
out the activities described in paragraph (1), and 
work with charter school authorizers in the State to 
improve authorizing quality, including developing ca-
pacity for and conducting fiscal oversight and audit-
ing of charter schools. 
‘‘(b) ELIGIBLE STATE EDUCATIONAL AGENCY DE-
FINED.—For purposes of this section, the term ‘eligible 
State educational agencies’ are State educational agencies 
with all of the following student, family, community and 
taxpayer protection laws and policies in place: 
‘‘(1) STATE LAW AUTHORIZING THE CREATION 
OF CHARTER SCHOOLS.—The State must have a law 
in force that authorizes the creation and operation 
of charter schools. 
‘‘(2) FIDUCIARY DUTIES AND CONFLICT OF IN-
TEREST RULES.—The State must have legally bind-
ing rules establishing fiduciary duties for officers, di-
rectors, managers, and employees of charter schools 
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and prohibitions against conflicts of interest among 
officers, directors, managers, and employees of char-
ter schools, education management organizations, 
and related entities. Specifically, the State must 
have legally binding rules— 
‘‘(A) providing that charter school officers, 
directors, managers, and employees occupy po-
sitions of trust when they handle the money or 
property of the charter school; 
‘‘(B) prohibiting charter school officers, di-
rectors, managers, and employees from dealing 
with the charter school as an adverse party or 
acting on behalf of an adverse party in any 
matter connected with the duties of such offi-
cer, director, manager, or employee; 
‘‘(C) prohibiting charter school officers, di-
rectors, managers, and employees from holding 
or acquiring any pecuniary or personal interest 
that conflicts with the interests of the charter 
school; 
‘‘(D) prohibiting education management 
organizations from entering into any trans-
action with a related party, including— 
‘‘(i) any related entity formed for the 
purpose of managing or providing support 
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to a charter school or group of related 
charter schools; 
‘‘(ii) any direct or indirect wholly 
owned subsidiary of any such entity, if the 
transaction benefits the education manage-
ment organization, the related party, or 
both; or 
‘‘(iii) any other related party; and 
‘‘(E) providing civil remedies and criminal 
penalties, as applicable, that will apply to a 
breach of fiduciary duties and prohibited ac-
tions described in this paragraph in the same 
manner that such remedies or penalties apply to 
a breach of fiduciary duties or an action similar 
to a prohibited action under this paragraph in 
the case of officers, directors, managers, and 
employees of an entity that is not a charter 
school. 
‘‘(3) PUBLIC REMOVAL OF CHARTER SCHOOL 
GOVERNING BOARD MEMBERS.—The State charter 
school law shall ensure that a State agency or char-
ter school authorizer has the authority to remove a 
member of a charter school’s governing board if the 
member has violated the member’s fiduciary respon-
sibilities or the applicable conflict of interest rules. 
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‘‘(4) INDEPENDENT
FINANCIAL
AUDIT
RE-
QUIREMENTS
WITH
PUBLIC
DISCLOSURE.—The 
State must require that all charter schools, and all 
education management organizations that enter into 
management 
services 
contracts 
with 
charter 
schools— 
‘‘(A) conduct annual, independent audits 
of their financial statements and submit these 
required audit reports to the eligible State edu-
cational agency; and 
‘‘(B) make the required audit reports, in-
cluding any management letters, publicly avail-
able via disclosure by the eligible State edu-
cational agency. 
‘‘(5) CHARTER SCHOOL ACCESS TO BOOKS AND 
RECORDS OF EDUCATION MANAGEMENT ORGANIZA-
TIONS.—The State must require that a charter 
school’s governing board have access to all the books 
and records— 
‘‘(A) of any education management organi-
zation with which the board has contracted to 
manage the school; and 
‘‘(B) that are applicable to that charter 
school. 
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‘‘(i) published criteria for such sus-
pensions or revocations based on the edu-
cational or financial performance of the 
schools that are authorized by the charter 
school authorizer; and 
‘‘(ii) a protocol or policy for reas-
signing authorizer responsibilities for each 
such school to another appropriate author-
izer and assisting with the necessary tran-
sition (except in the case of a State that 
has only one charter school authorizer). 
‘‘(E) A policy regarding how charter 
schools are monitored and held accountable 
for— 
‘‘(i) meeting the requirements de-
scribed in section 5110(1); and 
‘‘(ii) providing equitable access and 
effectively serving the needs of all stu-
dents, including students with disabilities 
and English learners. 
‘‘(F) A policy regarding how the charter 
school authorizer will ensure that the local edu-
cational agency that serves a charter school 
that such charter school authorizer has author-
ized will comply with subsections (a)(5) and 
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(e)(1)(B) of section 613 of the Individuals with 
Disabilities Education Act. 
‘‘(9) FOR-PROFIT
CHARTER
SCHOOLS.—The 
State must have laws in effect that require for-profit 
charter schools to— 
‘‘(A) ensure that the charter school’s edu-
cational responsibilities take primacy over other 
purposes, such as generating financial returns 
for investors, contributing to a related or parent 
organization, or supporting external interests; 
and 
‘‘(B) include board members who have no 
significant administrative position and no own-
ership interest in the charter school or a related 
party, as described in 5103(b)(2)(D). 
‘‘(10) 
DISTRICTWIDE
MULTI-YEAR
SCHOOL 
PLAN.—The State must require local educational 
agencies, charter school authorizers, and charter 
schools to jointly develop and regularly update a dis-
trictwide multi-year school plan, which shall be co-
ordinated by the charter school authorizer. 
‘‘(11) IMPACT
STATEMENT.—The State must 
require that before any new charter school applica-
tion is approved, the local educational agency that 
serves the charter school or is in the geographic area 
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of the charter school, in accordance with the district-
wide multi-year school plan, shall— 
‘‘(A) prepare an impact statement— 
‘‘(i) assessing the proposed charter 
school’s impact on the districtwide multi- 
year school plan; and 
‘‘(ii) identifying the role that the char-
ter school intends to fill within the local 
educational agency; 
‘‘(B) make such impact statement available 
to community members prior to the hearing de-
scribed in subparagraph (C); and 
‘‘(C) hold a community input hearing prior 
to the determination about the approval or dis-
approval of a pending charter school applica-
tion. 
‘‘(12) IMPACT REPORT.—The State educational 
agency must prepare, and publish on the State edu-
cational agency website, an annual assessment of the 
impact of charter schools on local educational agen-
cies in the State, including— 
‘‘(A) a review of the flow of funding be-
tween sectors, student enrollment trends, and 
educational outcomes; 
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‘‘(B) identification of noteworthy innova-
tive or promising practices carried out by char-
ter schools in the State; and 
‘‘(C) documentation of efforts that lead to 
two-way cross sector sharing of promising prac-
tices. 
‘‘(13) CHARTER SCHOOL DISCLOSURES.— 
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—Subject to subpara-
graph (B), the State must require each charter 
school to publicly disclose, on the school’s 
website, the following: 
‘‘(i) The school’s charter documents. 
‘‘(ii) Any performance agreements in 
effect between the charter school and the 
charter school’s authorizer. 
‘‘(iii) A description of the schools’ 
program, including courses and programs 
offered. 
‘‘(iv) Whether or not transportation 
services are provided, and any fees for 
transportation. 
‘‘(v) Whether or not meals and snacks 
are served at school and whether or not 
free or reduced-price meals are available 
(and, if so, to which students). 
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‘‘(vi) Annual student attrition rates by 
grade level. 
‘‘(vii) Student behavior or discipline 
codes, policies, and processes, including 
parent appeal options. 
‘‘(viii) Annual teacher attrition rates. 
‘‘(ix) The amounts of nonpublic fund-
ing sources, including the duration of phil-
anthropic funding commitments. 
‘‘(x) The names of legal title holders 
of land and buildings that the charter 
school utilizes, along with a description of 
any public subsidies used directly or indi-
rectly to purchase or lease charter school 
property. 
‘‘(xi) Fees related to incidentals of at-
tendance, and whether any of those fees 
are waived for certain students (such as 
for students who are eligible to receive a 
free or reduced price lunch). 
‘‘(xii) Information related to financial 
and in-kind contributions of support, which 
shall be— 
‘‘(I) the amount and duration of 
any Federal, State, local, and private 
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financial and in-kind contributions of 
support, and how such funding and 
in-kind contributions are spent or 
used; 
‘‘(II) the information required to 
be submitted to the Office for Civil 
Rights for the Civil Rights Data Col-
lection; or 
‘‘(III) in the case of an organiza-
tion described in section 501(c)(3) of 
the Internal Revenue Code that is ex-
empt from taxation under section 
501(a) of that Code, the information 
required to be submitted on any re-
turn to be filed under section 6033 of 
that Code. 
‘‘(B) PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFOR-
MATION.—Notwithstanding the requirements 
under subparagraph (A), a charter school shall 
not provide any information under this para-
graph that would reveal personally identifiable 
information about an individual. 
‘‘(c) ELIGIBLE STATE EDUCATIONAL AGENCY USES 
OF FUNDS.— 
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‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—An eligible State edu-
cational agency receiving a grant under this section 
shall— 
‘‘(A) use not less than 90 percent of the 
grant funds to award subgrants to eligible ap-
plicants, in accordance with the quality charter 
school program described in the eligible State 
educational agency’s application pursuant to 
subsection (f), for the purposes described in 
subsection (a)(1); 
‘‘(B) reserve not less than 5 percent of 
such funds to carry out the activities described 
in subsection (a)(2); 
‘‘(C) reserve not more than 3 percent of 
such funds for administrative costs, which may 
include the administrative costs of providing 
technical assistance; and 
‘‘(D) reserve not less than 2 percent of 
such funds for the oversight of charter school 
use of Federal, State, and local public funds 
and private funds, including the investigation of 
fraud, waste, mismanagement and misconduct 
and ensuring compliance with paragraphs (2), 
(4), and (13) of subsection (b), which may be 
used by— 
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‘‘(i) the State for oversight of each 
charter school in the State; 
‘‘(ii) local educational agencies for 
oversight of public charter schools served 
by the local educational agency; and 
‘‘(iii) charter school authorizers for— 
‘‘(I) oversight of each charter 
school that is authorized by such au-
thorizer; and 
‘‘(II) coordination of the district-
wide multi-year school plan, as de-
scribed in subsection (b)(10). 
‘‘(2) RULES
OF
CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in 
this part shall prohibit the Secretary from awarding 
grants to eligible State educational agencies, or eligi-
ble State educational agencies from awarding sub-
grants to eligible applicants, that use a weighted lot-
tery, or an equivalent lottery mechanism, to give bet-
ter chances for school admission to all or a subset 
of educationally disadvantaged students if— 
‘‘(A) the use of a weighted lottery in favor 
of such students is not prohibited by State law; 
and 
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‘‘(B) such weighted lottery is not used for 
the purpose of creating schools exclusively to 
serve a particular subset of students. 
‘‘(d) PROGRAM PERIODS; PEER REVIEW; DISTRIBU-
TION OF SUBGRANTS; WAIVERS.— 
‘‘(1) PROGRAM PERIODS.— 
‘‘(A) GRANTS.—A grant awarded by the 
Secretary to an eligible State educational agen-
cy under this section shall be for a period of not 
more than 3 years, and may be renewed by the 
Secretary for one additional 2-year period. 
‘‘(B) SUBGRANTS.—A subgrant awarded 
by an eligible State educational agency under 
this section— 
‘‘(i) shall be for a period of not more 
than 3 years, of which an eligible applicant 
may use not more than 18 months for 
planning and program design; and 
‘‘(ii) may be renewed by the eligible 
State educational agency for one additional 
2-year period. 
‘‘(2) PEER REVIEW.—The Secretary, and each 
eligible State educational agency awarding subgrants 
under this section, shall use a peer-review process to 
review applications for assistance under this section. 
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‘‘(3) DISTRIBUTION OF SUBGRANTS.—Each eli-
gible State educational agency awarding subgrants 
under this section shall award subgrants in a man-
ner that, to the extent practicable and applicable, 
ensures that such subgrants— 
‘‘(A) prioritize eligible applicants that plan 
to serve a significant number of students from 
low-income families; 
‘‘(B) are distributed throughout different 
areas, including urban, suburban, and rural 
areas; and 
‘‘(C) will assist charter schools rep-
resenting a variety of educational approaches. 
‘‘(4) WAIVERS.—The Secretary may waive any 
statutory or regulatory requirement over which the 
Secretary exercises administrative authority under 
this Act with respect to charter schools supported 
under this part, except any such requirement relat-
ing to the elements of a charter school, if— 
‘‘(A) the waiver is requested in an ap-
proved application; and 
‘‘(B) the Secretary determines that grant-
ing such waiver will promote the purposes of 
this part. 
‘‘(e) LIMITATIONS.— 
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‘‘(1) GRANTS.—An eligible State educational 
agency may not receive more than 1 grant under 
this section at a time. 
‘‘(2) SUBGRANTS.—An eligible applicant may 
not receive more than 1 subgrant under this section 
for each individual charter school for each grant pe-
riod or renewal period, unless the eligible applicant 
demonstrates to the eligible State educational agency 
that such individual charter school has demonstrated 
a strong track record of positive results over the 
course of the grant period regarding the elements 
described in subparagraphs (A) and (D) of section 
5110(8). 
‘‘(f) APPLICATIONS.— 
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—An eligible State edu-
cational agency desiring to receive a grant under 
this section shall submit an application to the Sec-
retary at such time and in such manner as the Sec-
retary may require. 
‘‘(2) CONTENTS.—The application shall, in ad-
dition to citing the applicable policies necessary to 
satisfy the grant eligibility criteria set forth in sub-
section (b), provide a description of the eligible State 
educational agency’s objectives in running a quality 
charter school program under this section and how 
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the objectives of the program will be carried out, in-
cluding a description of the following: 
‘‘(A) How the eligible State educational 
agency will— 
‘‘(i) support the opening of new char-
ter schools and, if applicable, the replica-
tion or expansion of high-quality charter 
schools, and the proposed number of char-
ter schools to be opened, replicated, or ex-
panded under the eligible State educational 
agency’s program; 
‘‘(ii) inform eligible charter schools, 
developers, and charter school authorizers 
of the availability of funds under the pro-
gram; 
‘‘(iii) work with eligible applicants to 
ensure that the eligible applicants access 
all Federal funds that such applicants are 
eligible to receive, and help the charter 
schools supported by the applicants and 
the 
students 
attending 
those 
charter 
schools— 
‘‘(I) participate in the Federal 
programs in which the schools and 
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students are eligible to participate; 
and 
‘‘(II) receive the commensurate 
share of Federal funds the schools 
and students are eligible to receive 
under such programs; 
‘‘(iv) ensure each eligible applicant 
that receives a subgrant under the eligible 
State educational agency’s program— 
‘‘(I) is opening or expanding 
schools that meet the definition of a 
charter school under section 5110; 
and 
‘‘(II) is prepared to continue to 
operate such charter schools once the 
subgrant funds under this section are 
no longer available; 
‘‘(v) support charter schools in local 
educational agencies with schools that have 
been identified by the State under section 
1116(b); 
‘‘(vi) work with charter schools to pro-
mote inclusion of all students and support 
all students upon enrollment in order to 
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promote retention of students in the 
school; 
‘‘(vii) work with charter schools on re-
cruitment practices, including efforts to en-
gage groups that may otherwise have lim-
ited 
opportunities 
to 
attend 
charter 
schools; 
‘‘(viii) promote the sharing of best 
and promising practices among and across 
their charter, magnet, and traditional 
school sectors; 
‘‘(ix) ensure that charter schools re-
ceiving funds under the eligible State edu-
cational agency’s program meet the edu-
cational needs of their students, including 
students with disabilities and students who 
are English learners; 
‘‘(x) support efforts to increase char-
ter school quality initiatives, including 
meeting quality authorizing elements in 
this part; 
‘‘(xi) hold charter schools within such 
eligible State educational agency’s jurisdic-
tion accountable if such schools do not 
meet the objectives specified in the per-
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formance contract described in section 
5110(1), including by closing unsuccessful 
schools; and 
‘‘(xii) ensure that local educational 
agencies within such eligible State edu-
cational agency’s jurisdiction comply with 
subsections (a)(5) and (e)(1)(B) of section 
613 of the Individuals with Disabilities 
Education Act. 
‘‘(B) The eligible State educational agen-
cy’s authorizer accountability policies and oper-
ations, 
and 
plans 
pursuant 
to 
section 
5103(b)(8). 
‘‘(C) How the eligible State educational 
agency will ensure that each eligible applicant 
will solicit and consider input from parents and 
other members of the community on the imple-
mentation and operation of each charter school 
that will receive funds under the eligible State 
educational agency’s program. 
‘‘(D) How the eligible State educational 
agency will allow for an impartial appeals proc-
ess for a denial by a charter school authorizer 
of a developer’s application for a charter school. 
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‘‘(E) How the eligible State educational 
agency will award subgrants, on a competitive 
basis, to eligible applicants, on the basis of ap-
plications that include— 
‘‘(i) the name and address of the pub-
lic charter school and its mission, purpose, 
and any specialized innovation of the char-
ter school; 
‘‘(ii) a description of the roles and re-
sponsibilities of eligible applicants, and of 
any education management organizations 
or other organizations with which the eligi-
ble applicant will partner to open charter 
schools, including the administrative and 
contractual roles and responsibilities of 
such partners; 
‘‘(iii) the proposed governance struc-
ture of the school, developed with public 
input and including, at a minimum, a list 
of members of the governing board with 
each member’s qualifications, terms, and 
full financial disclosure of any potential 
conflicts of interest, including relationships 
with education management organizations, 
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vendors, or other business dealings with 
the school or other charter schools; 
‘‘(iv) for a traditional public school 
applying to convert to a charter school, 
demonstrated support of two-thirds of the 
families of children attending the school 
and two-thirds of the school staff for the 
conversion; 
‘‘(v) any contract between the charter 
school and an education management orga-
nization; 
‘‘(vi) student recruitment, admission, 
and retention policies and practices, includ-
ing a description of how the school pro-
vides equitable access and effectively serves 
the needs of all students, including stu-
dents with disabilities and English learn-
ers, and implements outreach and recruit-
ment practices that include the families of 
all students; 
‘‘(vii) the ages and grades of students 
and an estimate of the total enrollment of 
the school to be served by the charter 
school; 
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‘‘(viii) the number of staff and school 
leadership positions, including full-time 
and part-time employees, and qualifica-
tions of employees; 
‘‘(ix) a description of the educational 
program, methodology, and services to be 
offered to students, including students who 
are English learners and students with dis-
abilities; 
‘‘(x) information about the school’s 
daily hours of operation and number of 
days in the school year; 
‘‘(xi) a description of how the school 
will engage parents as partners in the edu-
cation of their children; 
‘‘(xii) a description of transportation 
services provided to and from school for 
students; 
‘‘(xiii) a statement that the school will 
not discriminate on the basis of race, na-
tional origin, gender, sexual orientation 
and gender identity, ethnicity, disability, 
academic achievement, or home language 
and that the school will comply with Fed-
eral and State civil rights laws applicable 
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to other publicly funded elementary and 
secondary schools; 
‘‘(xiv) evidence of adequate commu-
nity support for and interest in the charter 
school sufficient to allow the school to 
reach its anticipated enrollment, and an 
assessment of the projected programmatic 
and fiscal impact of the school on other 
public and nonpublic schools in the area; 
‘‘(xv) a description of the health and 
food services to be provided to students at-
tending the school, including whether the 
school participates in any free or reduced 
price lunch programs; 
‘‘(xvi) methods and strategies for 
serving students with disabilities, students 
who are English learners, and students 
who are homeless, including compliance 
with all applicable Federal laws; 
‘‘(xvii) a description of the procedures 
to be followed in the case of the closure or 
dissolution of the charter school, includ-
ing— 
‘‘(I) provisions for the transfer of 
students and student records to the 
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school district in which the charter 
school is located, which transfer ac-
tivities may be carried out using funds 
under this part; 
‘‘(II) the amount of funds that 
will be held in escrow annually to fund 
closure or dissolution related costs; 
and 
‘‘(III) unless State law requires 
otherwise, procedures for the disposi-
tion of the charter school’s assets to 
the local educational agency that 
serves the charter school or is in the 
geographic area of the charter school; 
‘‘(xviii) the hiring and personnel poli-
cies and procedures of the school; 
‘‘(xix) a description of the manner by 
which employees of the charter school will 
be covered by the State teachers’ retire-
ment system, the public employees’ retire-
ment system, or other pension or retire-
ment plan as well as compensation, health, 
and other benefits provided to the school’s 
employees; 
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‘‘(xx) for the purposes of a traditional 
public school that seeks to convert to a 
public charter school, how the charter 
school will comply with the same public 
sector labor relations laws and regulations 
as required of traditional public schools, 
including collective bargaining rights of the 
employees of the charter school, as applica-
ble under State law; 
‘‘(xxi) a statement that the public 
charter school will conduct or arrange for 
the performance of annual independent fi-
nancial audits and submit the audits to the 
eligible State educational agency; 
‘‘(xxii) a 3-year plan to sustain the 
maintenance, operation, and fiscal stability 
of the school; 
‘‘(xxiii) a statement that the school 
will maintain a public online site with in-
formation as required in this section, and 
as otherwise provided in Federal, State, 
and local requirements applicable to other 
public schools, and a statement that the 
public charter school will participate in an 
independent evaluation, and any other 
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evaluations or assessments, in the time and 
manner determined by the eligible State 
educational agency; and 
‘‘(xxiv) a description of the quality 
controls agreed to between the eligible ap-
plicant and the authorizer, such as a con-
tract or a performance agreement or finan-
cial audits to ensure adequate fiscal over-
sight. 
‘‘(F) In the case of an eligible State edu-
cational agency that partners with an outside 
organization to carry out the entity’s quality 
charter school program, in whole or in part, a 
description of the roles and responsibilities of 
the partner. 
‘‘(G) How the eligible State educational 
agency will help the charter schools receiving 
funds under the eligible State educational agen-
cy’s program address the transportation needs 
of the schools’ students. 
‘‘(3) ASSURANCES.—The application shall, in 
addition to the information described in paragraph 
(2), include assurances that the eligible State edu-
cational agency will ensure that the charter school 
authorizer of any charter school that receives funds 
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under the eligible State educational agency’s pro-
gram— 
‘‘(A) ensures that the charter school under 
the authority of such agency is meeting the re-
quirements of this Act, part B of the Individ-
uals with Disabilities Education Act, title VI of 
the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and section 504 
of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973; 
‘‘(B) adequately monitors and provides 
adequate technical assistance to each charter 
school under the authority of such agency in re-
cruiting, enrolling, retaining, and meeting the 
needs of all students, including children with 
disabilities and students who are English learn-
ers; and 
‘‘(C) ensures that each such charter school 
solicits and considers input from parents and 
other members of the community on the imple-
mentation and operation of the school. 
‘‘(g) PARENT INFORMATION AND RIGHTS.— 
‘‘(1) As a condition for eligibility for funding 
under this part, eligible State educational agencies 
shall— 
‘‘(A) ensure that each charter school in the 
State provides the information described in 
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paragraph (2) to the parents of the students 
who attend the charter school in a manner that 
is— 
‘‘(i) concise; 
‘‘(ii) presented in an understandable 
and uniform format and, to the extent 
practicable, in a language that parents can 
understand; and 
‘‘(iii) widely accessible to the public; 
and 
‘‘(B) make such information available on a 
single webpage of the State educational agen-
cy’s website. 
‘‘(2) Such information shall include, at a min-
imum, each of the following: 
‘‘(A) 
Information 
about 
the 
charter 
school’s mission, educational programs, and 
services. 
‘‘(B) The charter application and the ap-
proved charter document for the school, as well 
as any performance or other agreements in ef-
fect between the charter school and its author-
izer. 
‘‘(C) Rules and policies regarding student 
behavior and student disciplinary policies and 
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practices, including suspension and expulsion 
policies. 
‘‘(D) Information about the provision of 
meals and snacks, including— 
‘‘(i) the number and type of meals 
and snacks served each day; 
‘‘(ii) whether such meals and snacks 
are fully or partially subsidized; and 
‘‘(iii) information about student eligi-
bility for free and reduced price lunch pro-
grams. 
‘‘(E) Information about transportation to 
and from the school, including any transpor-
tation that is free or subsidized to students and 
the eligibility requirements for free or sub-
sidized transportation. 
‘‘(F) Recruitment and admission policies 
and practices used at each charter school site. 
‘‘(G) Information about the school’s daily, 
weekly, and school year schedule, including 
hours of operation and number of days in the 
school year. 
‘‘(H) The number of years that the public 
charter school has operated. 
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‘‘(I) The maximum number of students in 
each classroom by grade. 
‘‘(J) Staff qualifications (including school 
leadership) and languages spoken by staff. 
‘‘(K) Fees related to incidentals of attend-
ance (other than tuition), and whether any of 
those fees are waived for certain students (such 
as for students who are eligible to receive a free 
or reduced price lunch). 
‘‘(L) Data on attendance and the number 
of suspensions and expulsions by school year, in 
total and disaggregated by each of the cat-
egories 
of 
students 
described 
in 
section 
1111(b)(2)(C)(v). 
‘‘(M) Annual student attrition rates by 
grade level. 
‘‘(N) Annual teacher attrition rates and 
numbers, disaggregated by grade level and 
teaching subject matter, years of experience, 
and credential. 
‘‘(O) Procedures for parents, students, and 
school employees to appeal school decisions and 
the procedures and processes for such appeals. 
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‘‘(P) Other information that would assist a 
parent in making a decision to enroll a child in 
the public charter school. 
‘‘(3) Notwithstanding the requirements under 
paragraph (2), a charter school shall not provide any 
information under this subsection that would reveal 
personally identifiable information about an indi-
vidual. 
‘‘(h) SELECTION CRITERIA; PRIORITY.—The Sec-
retary shall award grants to eligible State educational 
agencies under this section on the basis of— 
‘‘(1) the quality of the applications submitted; 
‘‘(2) the performance record of the charter sec-
tor in the applicant State, including in the areas of 
promoting high student achievement and growth, 
identification and use of instructional and other edu-
cational program innovations to strengthen public 
education, financial management, student safety, 
and compliance with applicable policies; and 
‘‘(3) the eligible State educational agency’s plan 
to solicit and consider input from parents and other 
members of the community on the implementation 
and operation of the charter schools in the State. 
‘‘(i) STATE EVALUATION AND REPORT.— 
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‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Beginning not later than 2 
years after the date of enactment of the Charter 
School Accountability Act of 2015, each eligible 
State educational agency receiving a grant under 
this section shall enter into a contract for an inde-
pendent evaluation of the charter schools in the 
State, which shall be carried out on an annual basis. 
The State educational agency may use grant funds 
under this section to pay the cost of the independent 
evaluation and related reporting. 
‘‘(2) SUBMISSION TO THE SECRETARY; PUBLIC 
AVAILABILITY.—Each such independent evaluation 
shall be submitted to the Secretary and shall also be 
made publicly available on the website of the agency. 
‘‘(3) CONTENTS.—The independent evaluation 
described in paragraph (1) shall include an evalua-
tion of the following: 
‘‘(A) An assessment of the cumulative im-
pact of charter schools on local educational 
agencies within the State, including on the 
flows of funding between sectors, student enroll-
ment trends, staffing, and educational out-
comes, along with recommendations for any 
changes to laws, regulations, or policies to ad-
dress identified problems. 
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‘‘(B) A compilation of profiles of public 
charter schools and other charter schools in the 
State relating to demographic information on 
student enrollment and retention. 
‘‘(C) Staff and leadership qualifications, 
demographic information and retention infor-
mation regarding staff, and academic and non-
academic programs provided, in charter schools 
in the State. 
‘‘(D) The academic achievement of stu-
dents in each public charter school in the State, 
as compared to students enrolled in other public 
charter schools within the same local edu-
cational agency and as compared to other stu-
dents enrolled in all public schools in the local 
educational agency, accounting for differences 
in student populations served, programs and 
services provided, and public and nonpublic 
funding available in the schools students are at-
tending. 
‘‘(E) Adequacy of funding and resource 
distribution among public charter schools and 
noncharter public schools in the State, account-
ing for differences in student populations served 
and programs and services provided. 
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‘‘(F) Recommendations for any changes to 
laws, regulations, or policies that would facili-
tate improvement of student outcomes in public 
charter schools in the State. 
‘‘(G) Recommendations for improvements 
in equity, transparency, and accountability of 
public charter schools in the State to the public 
and the parents and staff at such public charter 
schools. 
‘‘(H) Identification of best and promising 
practices within the sectors of public schools, 
private schools, and charter schools, in the 
State and the extent to which these are being 
shared to improve educational outcomes as a 
whole, barriers to effective sharing, and rec-
ommendations for how to reduce such barriers, 
in the State. 
‘‘(I) How the eligible State educational 
agency has worked with charter schools receiv-
ing funds under the State educational agency’s 
program to foster community involvement in 
the planning for and opening of such schools. 
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‘‘SEC. 5103A. GRANTS FOR THE REPLICATION AND EXPAN-
SION OF HIGH-QUALITY CHARTER SCHOOLS. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—From amounts reserved under 
section 5102(b)(2), the Secretary shall make grants, on 
a competitive basis, to eligible entities having applications 
approved under this section to enable such eligible entities 
to replicate a high-quality charter school or expand a high- 
quality charter school. 
‘‘(b) ELIGIBLE ENTITY DEFINED.—For purposes of 
this section, the term ‘eligible entity’ means an entity 
that— 
‘‘(1)(A) is a charter management organization 
that, at the time of the application, operates or man-
ages one or more high-quality charter schools; or 
‘‘(B) is a nonprofit organization that oversees 
and coordinates the activities of a group of such 
charter management organizations; and 
‘‘(2)(A) operates in a State that meets the re-
quirements of section 5103(b); or 
‘‘(B) if the entity does not operate in such a 
State, the Secretary has certified that the eligible 
entity has policies and controls in place that are in 
compliance with section 5103(b) and the Secretary 
has determined that awarding a grant under this 
section to the entity will promote the purposes of 
this part. 
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‘‘(c) APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS.—An eligible en-
tity desiring to receive a grant under this section shall sub-
mit an application to the Secretary at such time and in 
such manner as the Secretary may require. The applica-
tion shall include the following: 
‘‘(1) Each item that is required for an applica-
tion as described in clauses (i) through (xxiv) of sec-
tion 5103(f)(2)(E), except that the term ‘eligible en-
tity’ shall be substituted for the term ‘eligible appli-
cant’. 
‘‘(2) A description of the eligible entity’s objec-
tives for implementing a high-quality charter school 
program with funding under this section, including 
a description of the proposed number of high-quality 
charter schools to be replicated or expanded with 
funding under this section. 
‘‘(3) A description of the educational program 
that the eligible entity will implement in the charter 
schools that the eligible entity proposes to replicate 
or expand, including information on how the pro-
gram will enable all students to meet the challenging 
State academic standards under section 1111(b)(1), 
the grade levels or ages of students that will be 
served, and the instructional practices that will be 
used. 
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