FLEX Act

Key Points

• The bill increases the minimum funding set-asides for charter school programs. The share reserved for state entity grants rises from 12.5% to at least 15%, the share for national activities goes from 22.5% to at least 25%, and a new 30% minimum is set for another funding category, directing more federal dollars toward charter schools.
• Federal grants can now be used for a broader set of charter school activities, including expanding programs at existing high-quality charter schools through new academic models, personalized learning, or new curricular approaches, rather than just opening or replicating new schools.
• The bill broadens what charter schools can spend grant money on, now covering facility operations and management, building renovations, portable classrooms, academic subscriptions, curricular support, and hiring or compensating teachers and school leaders.
• It limits the Department of Education's rulemaking authority over charter schools, requiring only necessary regulations and barring the imposition of additional nonstatutory requirements on schools and state entities.
• Charter schools receiving funds must address the transportation needs of their students. The bill also clarifies that nothing in the law prohibits schools from providing educational services to students of a single sex.
• The bill enables advance payments of grant funds so charter schools do not have to wait for reimbursement, and it allows charter management organizations to expand into states where they do not yet operate or where charter options are limited.