[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 140 (Thursday, October 8, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Page S12069]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 CHARTER SCHOOLS AMENDMENTS ACT OF 1997

  Mr. JEFFORDS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Labor 
Committee be discharged from further consideration of H.R. 2616, and 
the Senate then proceed to its immediate consideration.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The clerk will report.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       A bill (H.R. 2616) to amend titles 6 and 10 of the 
     Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to improve and 
     expand chartered schools.

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection to the immediate 
consideration of the bill?
  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the bill.


                           Amendment No. 3795

              (Purpose: To provide a manager's amendment)

  Mr. JEFFORDS. Senator Coats has a substitute amendment at the desk, 
and I ask for its consideration.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       The Senator from Vermont (Mr. Jeffords), for Mr. Coats, Mr. 
     Lieberman, Mr. D'Amato, Mr. Kerrey, Ms. Landrieu and Mr. 
     McCain, proposes an amendment numbered 3795.

  (The text of the amendment is printed in today's Record under 
``Amendments Submitted.'')
  Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. President, I strongly support the Charter School 
Expansion Act, and I commend Senator Coats for his leadership in 
bringing it before the Senate. The legislation builds on the current 
Charter School Program to ensure that these schools are given the 
greater flexibility that they have been promised, and to reaffirm that 
they must be accountable to the same high standards that we expect of 
all public schools.
  In recent years, in response to the widespread movement to improve 
the quality of education in the nation's public schools, the innovative 
idea of charter schools began to develop broad bi-partisan support. 
Educators and community leaders took active parts in designing new 
schools that would receive public funds, like traditional public 
schools, but that would be free of many local regulations, and would 
also be held accountable for achieving the goals of their charter.
  States have the primary role in defining the role of charter 
schools--34 states have now passed enabling legislation, and they vary 
widely in their applications of this innovative idea. The Charter 
School Expansion Act continues to use Federal start-up grants as an 
incentive for local communities to design charter schools that provide 
significant options for parents within the public school system. The 
Act encourages the sharing of ideas and practices between charter 
schools and other public schools, so that schools benefit from the best 
lessons of each.
  The pending legislation strengthens the accountability provisions for 
charter schools by giving funding preferences to states that review and 
evaluate the performance of their charter schools at least once every 
five years. Charter schools must continue to be open to all students. 
President Clinton has set a goal of having 3,000 charter schools in 
operation nationwide by the year 2002.
  The Department of Education is conducting an ongoing study of charter 
school and the degree to which they are successful in improving student 
achievement. The results of that study will be very important in 
guiding the future of these schools.
  The Charter School Expansion Act is an essential part of our overall 
effort to improve public schools, and I urge the Senate to approve it. 
We must continue to do all we can to ensure that all public schools get 
the support they need to provide every child a good education.
  Mr. JEFFORDS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the 
amendment be agreed to, the bill be read a third time and passed, the 
motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, and that any statements 
relating to the bill appear in the Record.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The amendment (No. 3795) was agreed to.
  The bill (H.R. 2616), as amended, was passed.

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