The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, led by its chairman Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), held an event focused on expanding access to charter schools, with an emphasis on how Congress and the Education Department plan to ensure the schools have sufficient facilities and capital.
The Thursday event came two days after Cassidy introduced the Equitable Access to School Facilities Act.
His legislation seeks to improve charter schools’ access to funding to finance their facilities and access public buildings without federal interest. The bill particularly aims to increase charter schools’ access to facilities in low-income and rural communities.
“I would say the cost of capital is a big impediment to charter school growth,” Lorenzo Romero, the President of BASIS Educational Ventures, said during the HELP committee event.
Diana Diaz-Harrison, the deputy assistant secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services at the Education Department, shared that the agency will begin running an increased suite of charter school public grants this spring following the Trump administration’s proposal to increase the fiscal 2026 budget for charter schools to $60 million.
Ruben Morris, the founder of the Alabama Aerospace and Aviation High School, shared during the event that it was difficult to start his charter school, saying it took two years to get the school off the ground. He said he is still facing funding difficulties with the school.
“There weren’t any available facilities,” Morris said. “There wasn’t a ton of funding in Alabama.”
However, Morris said his charter school has produced great results despite the difficulties, as three of the school’s 13 graduates are now pilots.
“Alabama was performing near the bottom in both science and math, and I realized that — what if there was a solution that could feed a growing industry in the state of Alabama, which we were in the top five in aerospace and defense, but also provide a place where it’s safe to be smart? That was the impetus to start Alabama Aerospace and Aviation High School,” he said.
When parents have the opportunity to pick a school that best suits their children’s needs, they often see greater success, according to recent studies. A study of Ohio’s school choice program revealed that students were 60% more likely to earn a bachelor’s degree than their public school peers, with the greatest improvements coming from black, male, and impoverished students and those who had previously struggled academically.
The charter school event comes after the Ways and Means committee passed a federal school choice bill, the Educational Choice for Children Act, in its budget reconciliation. The legislation will create a federal tax credit that will fund school choice programs for students. Meanwhile, Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX) signed legislation earlier this month to create the largest day-one school choice program in the nation’s history.
During the hearing, Romero discussed a plan to reduce the cost of capital for charter schools through an effort to cut the interest rates for charter schools in half.
“When we talk about barriers to entry, capital is a huge barrier,” Romero said. “We can solve it without raising taxes, by putting forth the federal appropriation, having the U.S. treasurer guarantee the debts of charter schools. If you do that, you will cut the debt service in half. That would be more money for all schools in America that can go back to teacher pay or expand the wait list.”
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Cassidy’s legislation seeks to trim the bureaucratic “red tape” surrounding the creation of charter schools.
“When families have the opportunity to send their child to a charter school, they are empowered to choose the best education that meets their child’s needs,” Cassidy said. “This legislation strengthens charter schools, giving them greater tools to help children succeed in the classroom.”