[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 69 (Thursday, May 8, 2014)]
[House]
[Pages H4001-H4009]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SUCCESS AND OPPORTUNITY THROUGH QUALITY CHARTER SCHOOLS ACT
General Leave
Mr. KLINE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and
include extraneous material on H.R. 10.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Rokita). Is there objection to the
request of the gentleman from Minnesota?
There was no objection.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to House Resolution 576 and rule
XVIII, the Chair declares the House in the Committee of the Whole House
on the state of the Union for the consideration of the bill, H.R. 10.
The Chair appoints the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Bishop) to preside
over the Committee of the Whole.
{time} 1913
In the Committee of the Whole
Accordingly, the House resolved itself into the Committee of the
Whole House on the state of the Union for the consideration of the bill
(H.R. 10) to amend the Charter School Program under the Elementary and
Secondary Education Act of 1965, with Mr. Bishop of Utah in the chair.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The CHAIR. Pursuant to the rule, the bill is considered read the
first time.
The gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Kline) and the gentleman from
California (Mr. George Miller) each will control 45 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Minnesota.
Mr. KLINE. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume,
and rise today in strong support of the Success and Opportunity through
Quality Charter Schools Act, legislation that will support the growth
and expansion of successful charter schools.
Mr. Chairman, for many children and their parents, charter schools
are a beacon of hope for a better education and a better life. The
schools are extraordinarily in demand.
Wait lists for charter schools have grown steadily in recent years,
with more than 1 million students' names on wait lists for the 2013-
2014 school year.
{time} 1915
Charter schools have a proven track record of success, encouraging
higher academic achievement in even the most troubled school districts.
I recently had the opportunity to visit two impressive charter
schools in my home State of Minnesota. At both of the schools, without
exception, students were engaged, excited, and eager to learn. I know
firsthand this is not a trend unique to charter schools in Minnesota.
In fact, each time I visit quality charter schools, whether here in
Washington, D.C., or in Prairie Lake, Minnesota, or even Harlem, New
York, I have been amazed by the creative curriculum, the outstanding
educators,
[[Page H4002]]
and the students' incredible progress. Clearly, these institutions are
a valuable part of a successful education system.
However, the Federal Charter Schools Program is in need of key
reforms to enhance access and ensure continued educational quality.
That is why I partnered with my colleague, the senior Democrat on the
House Education and the Workforce Committee, Mr. Miller, to advance the
success and opportunity through the Quality Charter Schools Act. This
bipartisan legislation will encourage more States and families to
embrace charter schools, while also including several provisions to
urge these schools to reach out to special populations, including at-
risk students, children with disabilities, and English learners.
The bill will streamline the Federal Charter Schools Program, while
ensuring these institutions remain accountable to families and
taxpayers. The bill also expands the allowable use of Federal resources
to support not just new charter schools, as under current law, but also
replication and expansion of successful charter schools.
Additionally, H.R. 10 will direct charter schools to share best
practices with traditional public schools, helping to ensure school
leaders are working together to implement successful education
practices throughout the community.
Mr. Chairman, as we work to help more students access a quality
education, we must support charter schools as a valuable alternative to
failing public schools and work together to encourage their growth.
This act is a commonsense proposal that will improve educational
opportunities for students across the board and provide families with
additional school choice options.
I am very pleased that members of the Education and the Workforce
Committee have put their differences aside and worked through a very
bipartisan process to develop an exceptional piece of legislation. I
would like to thank members and staff for these efforts.
I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to join with us in
supporting legislation that can have a hugely positive effect on
children nationwide.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. I yield myself 5 minutes.
Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong support of H.R. 10.
I want to thank the chairman of the committee for all of his
cooperation so we could arrive at this legislation to bring to the
floor. I want to thank the staff on both sides of the aisle for all of
the time that they spent negotiating this legislation. I am delighted
that we are here tonight to consider it.
The Success and Opportunity Through Quality Charter Schools Act, I
urge my colleagues to support this legislation. I guess we will be
voting tomorrow on it, to vote in support of the legislation.
My support of H.R. 10 is grounded in my commitment to our Nation's
public schools and my firm belief that every child in every
neighborhood deserves access to a high-quality public education.
This bipartisan legislation would take us one step closer to making
the promise of quality public schools for every child a reality.
In many ways, the innovations coming out of the charter school sector
are helping to disprove some of the false assumptions about kids who
happen to be from the wrong ZIP Code. Charter schools continue to prove
that all children, from any background, can succeed. H.R. 10 seeks to
build on that success. It will expand opportunities for all children to
benefit from charter school innovations.
Along with Chairman Kline, I authored similar legislation last
Congress. That legislation served as the basis for this bill which we
are considering today and passed out of this Chamber with more than 360
votes.
I am pleased once again to collaborate with Chairman Kline on this
reauthorization of the Charter Schools Program. By working together, we
have been able to produce a truly bipartisan bill that will bring much-
needed improvements to the only Federal program that supports the
startup of public charter schools.
This existing Federal program provides startup funding for public
charter schools from States where the public charter schools are
permitted that win a competitive grant.
While the Charter Schools Program is in a small, competitive funding
stream that reaches a limited number of schools, the program can and
should be used as a lever to ensure the quality within the charter
school sector, drive collaboration between charter and noncharter
public schools, improve State oversight of charter schools to make sure
that every public school is equitably serving the most disadvantaged
students.
H.R. 10 would refocus the Charter Schools Program to achieve these
goals while recognizing and supporting the success of public charter
schools. Much of that success comes from the autonomy and flexibility
that charter schools have in implementing innovative curricula and
instruction. The research is clear: Access to great schools, fantastic
instruction, and a safe learning environment matters.
Thousands of public schools across the country, both charter and
noncharter, are great schools supported by millions of wonderful
educators. Unfortunately, some of our Nation's public schools, both
charter and noncharter, fall short.
I have been working on this issue for a long time. For me, it isn't
about the quantity of charter schools; it is about the quality of all
public schools. Over the years, I have requested numerous GAO reports
that examine activities of public charter schools to look at the
quality of the services for students who are traditionally underserved,
including those with disabilities and English language learners. The
results have pointed to the flaws in the charter implementation that
shortchanged disadvantaged students.
Our Federal investment in charters must help support and drive
improvements in the charter sector. For example, in Denver, when the
data showed a discrepancy in the charter school services for students
with complex disabilities as compared to noncharters, the district
leaders said, ``We can do better.'' Instead of pointing fingers and
placing blame, the district leaders and charter leaders collaborated on
bringing needed programs and support to students with complex
disabilities to all Denver public schools, including the charter
schools.
Federal dollars that support charter schools must incentivize this
type of collaboration on behalf of our most vulnerable students. The
improvements in the Charter Schools Program that are embodied in H.R.
10 would do just that. That is why groups such as National Council of
Learning Disabilities and the Consortium of Citizens with Disabilities
enthusiastically support this bill. No public school, charter or
otherwise, gets a pass when it comes to serving all kids.
H.R. 10 would also ensure that our Federal investment in public
charter schools supports only high-quality charters that are serving
all students and have demonstrated that they are accountable to parents
and communities.
H.R. 10 includes unprecedented quality controls and mechanisms to
improve charter authorizing activity and oversight. It challenges
States to support and transfer the best practices among all public
schools in order to ensure that the benefits of charter schools are
reaching all students, not just a few.
This isn't a debate about charter schools. Charter schools are here
and they aren't going anywhere. This is about increasing the quality,
the equity, and the transparency in the charter sector. The sector is
vibrant, and it is now serving more than 2 million students in 42
States and the District of Columbia.
A ``yes'' vote on H.R. 10 is a vote for much-needed program
improvements that will help ensure that the Federal dollars supporting
public charter schools only flow to quality schools and that those
schools live up to the promise of the equitable education of all
students.
I urge you to join me, Mr. Chairman, in supporting this bill.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. KLINE. Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from
Indiana (Mr. Rokita), the chairman of the Subcommittee on Early
Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education, who has been doing
yeoman's work not
[[Page H4003]]
only today in the furtherance of a better education for our Nation's
children, but every day.
Mr. ROKITA. Mr. Chairman, I thank the chairman and the ranking member
as well. Both the chairman and the ranking member have a great bill
here, and it deserves the support of this entire body, in my humble
opinion.
As chairman of the colloquially called K-12 Subcommittee on
Education, it has been my high honor to travel throughout Indiana, and
really across the country, to see our public school system, our public
charter school system, and the entire framework of how our great
American children are educated.
I have come to the conclusion early on, and it is the same one that
the chairman and the ranking member have come to, that is, charter
schools empower parents to play a more active role in their child's
education. It opens doors for teachers to pioneer fresh teaching
methods. Charter schools encourage State and local innovation. It helps
students escape underperforming schools. The charter school program
facilitates the establishment of high quality charter schools and it
encourages choice, innovation, and excellence in education.
The current Charter Schools Program, however, does not support the
funding for the replication and expansion of high-quality charter
schools. The ranking member said it himself that charter schools are
here to stay. And we are not about to have a debate over whether or not
they should exist. They do. It is about the replication and expansion
of them because they work.
This bill is a commonsense approach to updating the Charter Schools
Program by streamlining multiple charter school programs, improving
their quality, and promoting the growth of the charter schools sector
at the State level. The bill also consolidates multiple funding streams
and grant programs that support charter schools into the existing State
grant program, eliminating a separate authorization for charter school
facilities funding.
By consolidating the funding streams into the existing State charter
school program, the bill removes authority from the Secretary of
Education to pick winners and losers and control the growth of the
charter school sector. This authority is placed largely in the hands of
States, frankly, where it belongs in the first place.
The bill updates the Charter Schools Program to reflect the success
and growth of the charter school movement. States are authorized to use
funds under the program to support the replication and expansion of
high-quality charter schools in addition to supporting new innovative
charter school models.
Finally, Mr. Chair, I would say that this is not a new issue, in
fact, this is not a new bill for us. This bill is very similar to
charter school provisions included in H.R. 5, the Students Success Act,
and to H.R. 2218, the Empowering Parents Through Quality Charter
Schools Act, the latter of which passed the House by an overwhelmingly
bipartisan vote 365-44.
So for all these reasons, I simply urge my colleagues to support H.R.
10.
Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Mr. Chair, I yield 5 minutes to the
gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Polis).
There is no more enthusiastic and informed advocate of public charter
schools in this Congress than the gentleman from Colorado. I thank him
for all of the work that he put in on both sides of the aisle, working
with us to make the improvements in this legislation, and for his
support of it.
Mr. POLIS. Mr. Chairman and Mr. Ranking Member, thank you for the
kind words.
I want to thank Chairman Kline and Ranking Member Miller for their
hard work. Particularly in a week where this body has been divided over
issues like Benghazi and Lois Lerner, how wonderful that we can come
together around our most underserved kids and families to help extend
the hope and opportunity of a quality charter school to more families.
Most Members of this House have already voted for the provisions of
this bill. Substantially, a nearly identical bill was included in the
Republican ESEA reauthorization, H.R. 5. All but 12 Republicans voted
for that bill. Almost identical language was included in the Democratic
substitute for ESEA reauthorization as well. Only two Democrats voted
against that bill. The vast majority, everybody in this body, except
for 14 people in this session, this 113th Congress, have voted for the
provisions of this bill.
Those bills, the Democrat substitute and ESEA reauthorization, have
an enormous gap between where they were. Democrats and Republicans had
a different vision for accountability, the role of the Federal
Government, so many issues within that. So why not take language that
is nearly identical in both of those bills with regard to
reauthorization of the Federal Charter Schools Program and combine it
into a standalone bill that can actually pass this body and pass the
Senate.
We have done enough of these one-party bills. I know when we were in
the majority we did them as well, where the House acts, and we yell at
the Senate for not acting; they act, and they yell at us for not
acting. Here is a bill, Mr. Chairman, that, with a strong vote on the
floor of the House, can send a message to the Senate that while perhaps
we cannot agree on the entirety of ESEA reauthorization, yes, we can
agree on upgrading the Federal Charter Schools Program first conceived
in 1994 to the 2.0 version.
What does that mean, Mr. Chairman? What do these improvements in this
bill mean? They are commonsense improvements. They are neither
Republican nor Democratic. They simply make the bill better to make
sure that our very limited Federal investment that we have, the limited
resources we have, is spent and invested in a way to have the maximum
possible outcome in ensuring that kids across the country have access
to a quality public charter school.
For instance, rather than just supporting the formation of entirely
new charter schools that are innovative, under this bill we now allow
the funds to be used for expansion and replication of successful
models, models that we know work, schools that we know work, schools
that are transforming lives and restoring hope to families across our
country if only they can expand, if only we can have more to serve
kids.
We have also heard from our constituents across the country
complaints that some charter schools perhaps don't serve enough special
ed students or enough English language learners or enough free and
reduced lunch students.
{time} 1930
Under the old language of this authorization that we still have,
charter schools that receive these funds are actually prevented from
remedying that. They are not allowed to have anything other than a pure
lottery with regard to determining their student composition.
What we now allow with this bill is a weighted lottery to give
charter schools, in concert with their authorizing entity, the ability
to make sure that they can serve the most at-risk kids, pursuant to
their mission; they can serve special-needs kids, commensurate with the
district averages; they can serve English language learners, and make
sure that they can fulfill their mission, rather than have some of
those students squeezed out by those who are in a better position to
exercise their school choice because they are better informed and
better connected.
The underlying bill improves charter school access and services for
all students. It truly will help ensure that the limited Federal
investment we have makes the biggest single difference for families
across our country.
Mr. Chairman, public charter schools are simply public schools with
site-based governance. Public charter schools are free to innovate when
it comes to scheduling the learning day, uniforms, staffing,
curriculum, and yet they are accountable for student outcomes, and this
bill adds additional layers of accountability and transparency to
ensure that this Federal investment has the maximum possible effect.
I am proud that before I served in this body, Mr. Chairman, I founded
two public charter schools--New America School in Colorado, and now New
Mexico, and the Academy of Urban Learning in Denver. New American
School works with 16- to 21-year-old new immigrants to help them learn
the English language and even how to access a college education.
[[Page H4004]]
Mr. Chairman, absent a Federal charter school program I don't think I
even could have started that charter school. Hundreds and thousands of
charter schools that have benefited from this program across the
country will tell you the same story.
The CHAIR. The time of the gentleman has expired.
Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman
from Colorado.
Mr. POLIS. Before the State or district money for a public charter
school begins, before the doors open, there are expenses. Principals
and teachers have to be hired, classrooms have to be configured and
outfitted. That is what this money allows. Coupled with strong support
from the nonprofit sector and from foundations, we have helped give
with this program life to the ideas that have existed in the minds of
social entrepreneurs and that have been transformative in the lives of
kids and families.
However, Mr. Chairman, not all public charter schools are high
quality, just as all district schools are not high quality. That is why
H.R. 10 adds strong protections to ensure that public charter schools
are accountable that they serve low-income kids and English language
learners and at-risk kids.
We invest in quality authorizing practices. What does that mean?
Well, there are two possible thoughts in authorizing. An authorizing
entity like a district can hand out charters. Too easy? Hand out them
out like candy to every Tom, Dick, and Harry that comes in, including
low quality providers who have no sense of how to put together a school
budget. Or they can lack quality by never handing one out to anybody
because they view them as competition with the district.
But a quality authorizing practice is if you have a great idea and
evidence that it will work, sound budgetary policy, and a team that
will make a public school work for kids, you should be able to receive
that charter and operate that school. We raised the bar on authorizing
practices, something on which the original authorization for this
program was silent.
For those on my side of the aisle who are skeptical of public charter
schools, this bill brings stronger protections for oversight,
transparency, and accountability. This program, the Federal charter
school program, will exist under the old authorization or the new
authorization.
I implore my colleagues on my side of the aisle to support the new
and better 2.0 version for all of the Democratic priorities. Whether
you like charter schools or not, this program is simply better under
this bill. This bill has gotten better through every phase of the
process--better than the bill in last Congress, better than the bill as
part of the ESEA reauthorization of the Republican bill, better than
the Democratic substitute. And now as a stand-alone bill, we have the
ability to send a message to the Senate and a bill to President Obama's
desk.
Mr. KLINE. Mr. Chairman, I must say I so appreciate the depth of
knowledge and the enthusiasm and the passion of the gentleman from
Colorado. Always a pleasure.
Another great pleasure for me is to yield 4 minutes to the gentleman
from Indiana (Mr. Messer), another gentleman from Indiana who was
traveling with me in my home State visiting charter schools only a few
weeks ago.
Mr. MESSER. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of H.R. 10, the Success
and Opportunity Through Quality Charter Schools Act.
I want to commend Chairman Kline and Ranking Member Miller for coming
together on this important bipartisan legislation.
I also want to thank my good friend from Indiana, Todd Rokita, who
chairs the Subcommittee on Elementary and Secondary Education, for his
work on this bill, and thank the good Member Polis for his comments as
well, and appreciate the opportunity to work with him.
Every child deserves the opportunity to learn. But too many families
in America today live in neighborhoods with struggling schools where
their children don't have access to a high-quality education. That is
why education choice matters.
Lots of kids live in communities with great schools, but too many
don't. Parental choice is the ultimate local control. It allows parents
to choose the best educational environment for their child, regardless
of income, geographic location, or lot in life. The freedom provided by
school choice levels the playing field and helps ensure all children
have a chance to achieve success in life. As the founder and chairman
of the Congressional School Choice Caucus, I am a proponent of all
forms of educational choice, including magnet schools, online schools,
private schools, home schooling, and traditional public schools.
Charter schools certainly play an integral role in expanding
educational freedom. I am very encouraged by this bipartisan
legislation which will update the charter school program to reflect the
success and growth of successful charter models by supporting the
replication, expansion, and opening of new, innovative, high-quality
charter schools.
Encouraging the expansion of charter schools is important because
they empower parents with another free public school option and are a
driving force in creating classroom innovation.
Over the past couple of months, I have had the opportunity to visit
several charter schools that are preparing students for success. Just
this last month, as the chairman mentioned, I was fortunate enough to
join Chairman Kline on his trip to visit the Aspen Academy and the
Global Academy charter schools in Minnesota. More recently, I toured
the Inspire Academy of Muncie in my district, one of 74 charter schools
in Indiana serving more than 28,000 Hoosier students. I was impressed
with what I saw: a diverse group of students actively engaged in
learning, teachers pioneering fresh teaching methods, and parents
heavily involved in their child's education.
In the Declaration of Independence, our Founding Fathers wrote that
all men are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights.
Chief among those rights is the right to pursue happiness. In modern
America, that pursuit begins with a high-quality education. We cannot
rest until every child in America has that chance.
I urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan legislation.
Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to
the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Loretta Sanchez).
Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in
support of H.R. 10, the Success and Opportunity Through Quality Charter
Schools Act, demonstrating that Congress can actually work together to
get something done.
I want to thank Chairman Kline and my good friend from California,
Ranking Member George Miller, for bringing this forward. I am still
waiting for you guys to bring the ESEA to the floor, but I am really
thrilled that we are making some critical improvements to the public
charter school system.
Charter schools were never meant to replace our traditional public
school system, but I have to tell you that they have grown over the
last 20 years and I see several of them in my area, just down the
street really, making a difference in my community--the Orange County
High School of the Arts, for example, and an elementary school called
El Sol--all doing great work just under a mile away from me.
It is really great for us to take a look at the Federal law and say:
How can we make this even better? Because even though we have great
schools, like the ones I just mentioned, there are also some charter
schools that have failed or some charter schools that are actually
failing our kids, they are not really getting the work done that we
thought they would do or that the people who envisioned them thought
would be done.
While charter schools work towards encouraging innovation in our
public schools, we really need to take a look and see what these
schools are doing. H.R. 10 is the first step in highlighting the need
for charter schools that improve student outcomes while expanding those
schools that are currently utilizing our best practices.
I am also pleased to see that the legislation requires greater
charter authorizer accountability and even more pleased that we are
finally addressing the under-enrollment of some of our most vulnerable
students through the
[[Page H4005]]
weighted lotteries provision. This is incredibly important in the area
where I live, as I have a very urban area.
We hold our traditional public schools accountable for the education
of our future leaders, and we expect charter schools to involve the
community in their efforts to improve the charter school system. That
is why I am happy to have worked with both the majority and the
minority on an amendment that I will have tomorrow which will hold
public charter schools accountable in fostering and promoting community
involvement. We all know that when people are involved, when they are
involved in their school, when parents are involved, we see a mass
difference in the students who come out of those schools.
Charter schools must be engaged with a local community to understand
the students they teach, and my amendment will strengthen that role.
The CHAIR. The time of the gentlewoman has expired.
Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. I yield an additional minute to the
gentlewoman from California.
Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. While it is not the final
solution, H.R. 10 positively contributes to the promise of a quality
education for every child in every neighborhood.
Mr. KLINE. Mr. Chairman, I am pleased to yield 2 minutes to the
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Hall).
Mr. HALL. Mr. Chairman, I thank the chairman for the time.
Mr. Chairman, as we celebrate National Teachers Week, I do rise in
support of charter schools and the remarkable job they do in advancing
high-quality education through innovative approaches in our classrooms
across the country. With an increasingly competitive workforce, quality
education is more important than ever, and charter schools play a
valuable role in the education field.
Charter schools provide parents and students a choice for what best
meets the child's needs, classrooms that offer more personalized
education, and accountability if the school's achievement goals and
metrics are not met.
When I was home over Easter, I had the opportunity to visit the
Phoenix Charter School located in Greenville, Texas. Built in 1986,
Phoenix Charter School serves over 600 students by providing a creative
educational experience, one that integrates fine arts into a strong
traditional curriculum.
During my visit, I talked with students who were excited to share
their experiences at the school. They told me they were happy to
receive a hands-on education in a place that makes them feel at home.
More importantly, they are thankful to attend a school that meets their
individual living needs. I walked around the campus and was able to see
teachers interact with students, and you could see the students were
fully engaged in the classroom.
Phoenix Charter School has been recognized by the National Alliance
for Public Charter Schools for providing exceptional education to its
students, and this recognition is well-deserved.
Parents and educators know best what their students need. If a
student can benefit most from a charter school, that student should be
able to have that access to that education. I encourage my colleagues
to join me in efforts to provide students full access to charter
schools and the innovative way they prepare our students for successful
futures.
{time} 1945
Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to
the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Polis).
Mr. POLIS. Mr. Chairman, I want to discuss today some of the
priorities that Democrats have, which are important to Members of my
party, which are included in this bill.
I hope that those on my side of the aisle who are listening tonight--
or the capable Education LAs who are listening tonight, who will
hopefully advise their bosses to vote ``yes'' tomorrow--will listen to
how so many of our Democratic priorities are in the bill.
First of all, this bill makes sure that charter schools do not have
entrance requirements, that they don't charge tuition, are not
religious, and don't discriminate against students on any basis.
We also make sure that low-performing or financially irresponsible
charter schools are closed and that the authorizer intercedes. We also
have language in here that gives public charter schools additional
tools to make sure that they recruit and serve students with
disabilities.
We also improve performance oversight and the management for public
charter schools, new provisions about transparency, and evaluation
practices. We make sure that each public charter school considers input
from parents and community members with regard to the operation of the
school.
The public charter schools abide by civil rights laws, in that they
can't charge tuition. We make sure that public charter schools have the
same audit requirements as traditional public schools, in order to
prevent fiscal mismanagement and fraud.
These are some of the reasons, Mr. Chairman, that I encourage my
colleagues on my side of the aisle to upgrade this authorization--to
upgrade from the version passed in 1994--to a new and better version
that incorporates almost two decades of learning about what works and
doesn't work within the public charter school movement.
Those on my side of the aisle support good public schools, whether
they are district schools, whether they are neighborhood schools,
whether they are public magnet schools, whether they are public charter
schools, whether they are schools of choice operated by the district.
We want to make sure that every family has access to a good, high-
quality public education.
Public charter schools are not the silver bullet alone. They are not
going to fix everything that is wrong and that needs to be improved
about public education in the country.
What they do offer are examples of hope and opportunity for the kids
they serve. Too many families, Mr. Chairman--almost a million families
across the country--are languishing on the waiting lists for public
charter schools; and they are forced to attend worse schools because
the capacity doesn't exist to serve them.
This bill will allow quality public charter schools to expand, to
replicate, and to serve more children, in order to help reduce that
number. It will make sure that other generations of Americans--
particularly Americans in poverty--are not consigned to lives of
reliance on government programs or on an inability to attend college,
but to, instead, have every opportunity that this country can provide
because they have had a good education.
In the 21st century, Mr. Chairman, a good education is more important
than ever for one to be in the American middle class and to live the
American Dream. At the very time that it is becoming more important
than ever, we need to redouble our efforts to ensure that every family
has access to a high-quality school. That is why I encourage my
colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this bill.
Mr. KLINE. Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from
Louisiana (Mr. Scalise), a man who comes from a State that has learned
a great deal about the value of charter schools in these few years.
Mr. SCALISE. I want to thank Chairman Kline and Ranking Member Miller
for bringing this legislation to the floor, as it is so important when
you talk about the things that we need to do to help give our children
better opportunities.
Mr. Chairman, the charter school movement has literally transformed
the public education system in New Orleans. If you look at what was
happening in the city of New Orleans before Hurricane Katrina, it was
the most failed and corrupt public school system in the country.
After Hurricane Katrina--I was in the legislature at the time--many
of my colleagues came together, and we passed a charter system that
empowered communities to get involved in the education of their
children.
What we saw was revolutionary. What we saw were parents finally
having options and choices to send their kids to schools that were
competing for those children, schools that were actually providing
better opportunities.
Before Hurricane Katrina, 75 percent of the students in New Orleans'
public schools were attending failing schools, schools that were giving
them no opportunity and no hope for their future.
What has happened since with this revolution of the charter school
movement in New Orleans? What we have
[[Page H4006]]
seen is that, now, over 91 percent of the public school students in New
Orleans attend charter schools.
What does that really mean for quality? That is ultimately what
really matters. What kind of education are these children now being
able to get?
As I said before, before Katrina, 75 percent of the students in the
public schools in New Orleans were attending failing schools. Today,
fewer than 15 percent of those students are attending schools with
either a D or an F rating because, now, there is competition.
Parents have multiple options of where to send their kids, and those
schools are competing for the students. I visited Hynes Elementary
School last week in my district, in the Lakeview part of New Orleans.
It is a charter school that is incredibly successful.
You see such enthusiasm from these young kids. They have an over 450-
person waiting list to go to this charter school. It really is working,
the fact that you have invoked this competition.
I want to applaud Majority Leader Cantor. Majority Leader Cantor
actually came down and toured a number of the charter schools in New
Orleans.
Of course, New Orleans is not the only place, but it is probably the
place in which you have such a dramatic change--again, a revolution--
that has literally served as the model for how you can transform failed
public education systems that were denying students the opportunity to
have a future, to achieve that American Dream.
When we talk about opportunities for children, this is not a
Republican idea or a Democrat idea. This is our ability to pass on the
franchise of the American Dream to our children.
Charter schools have helped expand that opportunity, and that is why
it is so important that we pass H.R. 10, so as to help replicate those
successful programs and to help highlight what is working with the
charter school movement.
You can look to New Orleans and see just how it has transformed
people's lives for the better. This is something we need to do. It is
great that this is a bipartisan effort.
Again, I applaud Chairman Kline for bringing this bill to the floor.
Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Mr. Chairman, I continue to reserve
the balance of my time.
Mr. KLINE. Mr. Chairman, I am now very pleased to yield 3 minutes to
the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Paulsen), my colleague from the State
of Minnesota, which is where charter schools originated.
Mr. PAULSEN. I would like to thank both Chairman Kline for his
leadership, along with Ranking Member Miller, and for their working
together to bring this very important legislation to the floor today.
I also need to thank my colleague, Congressman Polis, with whom I
cochair the Charter Schools Caucus, for his leadership and passion on
education issues.
Mr. Chairman, we need to pass this legislation. This is an
opportunity to work together because H.R. 10 will ensure that students'
ZIP codes do not determine the quality of their education.
There are too many students across the country who are trapped in
failing schools, with little hope of ever escaping. Parents want the
best for their children, but many parents are often left with only two
options: either an expensive private school or a failing public school.
Thankfully, many more families now have this third option of a high-
quality charter school.
Recently, I had the chance to visit Beacon Preparatory School in
Bloomington, Minnesota, which is in my district. While there, I saw
students who were thriving in their classes. I saw dedicated teachers.
I saw challenging academics.
Charter schools are not tied down by a lot of bureaucratic red tape
or by outdated traditions. In fact, charter schools are creating very
new and innovative ways of learning that can help grab students'
attention and make them more excited to learn.
Mr. Chairman, in too many States, that debate has sometimes been
public schools versus charter schools, but it does not have to be that
way. Public schools and charter schools can coexist to make the system
better.
As Chairman Kline noted, in our home State of Minnesota, we were the
pioneers for the charter school movement 22 years ago. It is an example
of how this system can absolutely work, and we have a rich tradition of
providing a world-class education to our students in both public
schools and charter schools.
Charter schools are continuing to grow. In 2007, there were nearly
1.3 million students enrolled in charter schools around the country. As
we debate this legislation today, there are 6,500 charter schools that
are now enrolling 2.5 million students across the country, but here is
the thing: there are 1 million students on waiting lists to enter into
these charter schools.
The legislation before us today focuses on the expansion and
replication of high-quality charter schools. It concentrates on charter
school models that have had a proven record of success in order to
raise the bar for everyone and to ensure that those who attend charter
schools will receive the best education possible.
Mr. Chairman, this is an opportunity that we have today to show the
American people we are committed at the Federal level in helping to
produce the best educational opportunities for all students, so let's
vote to make sure that a child's ZIP code does not determine the
quality of his education.
Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Mr. Chairman, I continue to reserve
the balance of my time.
Mr. KLINE. Mr. Chairman, I am now pleased to yield 3 minutes to the
gentleman from Tennessee, Dr. Roe, the chairman of the Subcommittee on
Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions.
Mr. ROE of Tennessee. I thank the chairman.
Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong support of H.R. 10, the Success and
Opportunity through Quality Charter Schools Act, and I am going to
sound like a recording because you are going to hear a lot of the same
themes in this.
Today, there are an estimated 1 million students on waiting lists to
attend public charter schools. These students and their families
believe that their educational needs are not being met by their current
schools.
While many of our public schools are doing a great job, too many
others are failing our children. These kids deserve the opportunity to
receive a top-notch education, and they cannot wait as we work to
improve these underperforming schools. They don't have the time.
Public charter schools provide students with the opportunity to
escape underperforming schools, while also giving parents more control
over their children's education. To ensure more access to these
innovative institutions, the Success and Opportunity through Quality
Charter Schools Act supports the replication or expansion of existing
high-quality charter schools.
H.R. 10 streamlines and modernizes our charter schools program,
providing our Nation's public charter schools with the flexibility
needed to encourage innovation at the State and local levels.
H.R. 10 supports the sharing of best practices between charter and
traditional public schools. In this way, all public school students,
not just charter school students, benefit from the innovation at these
institutions.
I am proud of the educators and students in my home State of
Tennessee and of their accomplishments in improving education in our
State. Since 2003, Tennessee has increased its high school graduation
rate by 17 points to 87 percent. This is commendable, but it is not
enough. We can and should do more, and charter schools must be part of
the discussion.
Since 2002, Tennessee has opened more than 45 charter schools, giving
nearly 12,000 students the opportunity to attend these innovative
institutions.
Tennessee's public charter schools serve 87 percent low-income and 96
percent minority students from economically disadvantaged areas,
providing school choice to the students who need it the most.
Just like Tennessee, we, as a Nation, must fully embrace all of the
tools available, including charter schools, to ensure our students'
success.
Mr. Chairman, I spent 24 years in the public school system. I never
attended a private school. The opportunity for students like me who are
first generation students--college students--to be
[[Page H4007]]
able to get a great, basic public education is really the future of our
country. I think our very future depends on that.
Also, while I am here, I want to thank both the chairman, Ranking
Member Miller, Mr. Polis, and the rest of the committee for circling
around this extremely important piece of legislation because students
in the first or second or third grade cannot afford a failing school.
They have to be allowed to go into a school where they can be
successful.
With that, Mr. Chairman, I strongly urge my colleagues to support
H.R. 10.
Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Mr. Chairman, I continue to reserve
the balance of my time.
Mr. KLINE. Mr. Chairman, I would now like to yield 3 minutes to the
gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Sanford).
Mr. SANFORD. I thank the chairman.
Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of this bill.
I would just like to thank, indeed, the chairman and the members of
the committee for their great work on it. At the end of the day, it
represents expanded choice in education, and that whole notion of
increasing and expanding the marketplace in education, I think, is
vital for a couple of different reasons.
I think it is vital, one, because it is better for students. I think
it is vital because the local control of education matters. Ultimately,
I think it is vital from the standpoint of improving and increasing the
level of innovation that we see in the educational marketplace. Let me
expand on those thoughts just over a couple of minutes.
One is that it is vital for students because God makes every child
different. When I was working in politics in South Carolina, we passed
a rather major charter school bill.
We now have over 60 charter schools in South Carolina--right at 60
charter schools in South Carolina. What it did was it tailor-made for
students applications that fit who they were.
{time} 2000
So, in some cases, if they wanted to work on leadership, they could
do so. In some cases, if they wanted to work on mathematics or English
or technology or the arts, they had venues by which to specialize in
that which God wired them to do.
So, one, this idea of increased choices for the students that are out
there, I think it is vital.
Two, I think it is absolutely vital to the larger notion of local
control.
People invest in things that they have a say in, that they have a
voice in. What we saw in choice in South Carolina and expanded choices
on the charter school front was that parents indeed got more deeply
involved.
I have not just seen that in South Carolina. I have seen it in
different spots across the country, whether that is KIPP Academy or
whether that is the old Marva Collins School up toward Milwaukee. It is
interesting to see the way in which parents would invest in their
child's education when they had a little bit more control and a little
bit more voice. That is true, again, at Bridges Academy in Beaufort,
South Carolina, or KIPP Academy out toward Houston.
Finally, I would make this point. It is absolutely vital to
innovation in education, because the old saying is, the definition of
insanity is keep on doing the same thing and expect a different result.
This idea of changing the educational paradigm so that there are more
choices for kids and parents out there is absolutely critical to
competitiveness in this country.
Look at the numbers. I pulled some of them. We are behind
Liechtenstein, Vietnam, and Iceland with regard to mathematics in
global scores. We are behind Poland, Luxembourg, and Estonia with
regard to reading scores in global scores.
We are behind Canada, we are behind the United Kingdom, we are behind
Slovenia, we are behind France. We are behind a whole host of different
places in scores on the science front.
And so if we are going to change that, if we are going to be
competitive in this global competition for jobs, capital, and the way
of life, it is vital that we have bills like this.
For that reason, I applaud the work of the committee.
Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance
of my time.
Mr. KLINE. Mr. Chairman, I just want to say that it has been a
pleasure to work on this legislation. We have heard compelling stories
here today from around the country--compelling stories of
transformation of entire cities and school systems, and lives being
changed through the charter school system. And we have legislation here
today and tomorrow which will make that Federal charter school law
better and make the opportunities more available and give more kids a
chance for success and opportunity.
This should be an easy vote for Republicans and Democrats. I urge my
colleagues to lend their support to H.R. 10, and I yield back the
balance of my time.
Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Chair, I rise to speak during House
consideration of H.R. 10, the ``Success and Opportunity through Quality
Charter Schools Act.''
Jackson Lee Amendments to H.R. 10
I have long supported the need for better data on the experiences of
children that Congress could use when deliberating on legislative
measures intended to benefit our youngest citizens.
Charter Schools are a new addition to education options available to
parents and their children. It is important that Congress ensures that
the benefit of a good free pre-K-12 education is available to all
parents and children of this nation.
The Education and the Workforce Committee included language in the
amendment in the form of a substitute for the bill that reflected an
amendment I intended to offer. The language in the bill that adds rates
of student attrition as a measure to be considered by charter school
authorizers in monitoring the successes of schools is appreciated and
will help gain additional insight into children's education.
Attrition data would help us better understand the impact of charter
schools on student retention. It would also bring additional
transparency regarding the drivers of attrition issues such as
discipline, counseling, drop-outs, bullying, as well as the impact of
learning disabilities like dyslexia on student retention.
Although the data reporting is not mandatory, it is my hope that
charter school districts and charter schools will take up the challenge
of providing hard data to make the case for their approaches to
education.
I offered two amendments for consideration by the House Rules
Committee that would strengthen the legislative goals of H.R. 10.
The amendments were simple and were an important addition to this
strong bipartisan effort from the Education and Workforce Committee to
bring clarity and improve transparency of charter schools in
communities around the nation.
Jackson Lee Amendment No. 1
The Jackson Lee amendment made in order by the Rules Committee for
debate of this bill directs State Education Agencies that award
federally funded grants to charter schools under this bill to work with
those schools so that they provide information on their websites
regarding student recruitment, orientation materials, enrollment
criteria, student discipline policies, behavior codes, and parent
contract requirements, which should include any financial obligations
such as fees for tutoring, and extra-circular activities.
This amendment will make it possible for parents to learn more about
how schools deal with important education issues such as academic
performance, enrichment programs, and quality of education life issues
programs for children with learning disabilities like dyslexia are
taught.
Many charter schools already provide this information, and the
amendment would support this good transparency practice. This Jackson
Lee amendment is good for parents and for charter schools because
parents would have access to information that helps them make education
decisions for their children; and charter schools would speak to a
larger audience regarding their education programs.
Jackson Lee Amendment No. 2
The second Jackson Lee amendment was a ``Sense of the Congress'' on
the promotion of, and support for anti-bullying programs in charter
schools, including those serving rural communities. I regret that this
amendment was not made in order by the Rules Committee because the
prevention of bullying is one of the most challenging problems facing
school officials.
Bullying is not a new behavior. Kids have been exposed to bullying in
school for generations. Now, however, bullying has taken on new heights
and sometimes victims of bullies suffer severe and lasting
consequences.
For victims of bullying, they go to school every day facing
harassment, taunting, and
[[Page H4008]]
humiliation. Studies show that 25-35% of teens encountered some type of
bullying in their lifetime. Bullying is a form of violent behavior that
happens not only in the schools but everywhere.
The National Center for Educational Studies reports show that 14
percent of 12- to 18-year-olds surveyed report being victims of direct
or indirect bullying. 1 out of 4 kids is bullied. The Department of
Justice reports that 1 out of every 4 kids will be abused by another
youth.
I introduced H.R. 2585, the Juvenile Accountability Block Grant
Reauthorization and the Bullying Prevention and Intervention Act of
2013. This bill amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act
of 1968 by expanding the juvenile accountability block grant program
with respect to programs for the prevention of bullying to include
intervention programs. The bill's objective is to reduce and prevent
bullying and establish best practices for all activities that are
likely to help reduce bullying among young people.
This year a million children will be teased, taunted, and physically
assaulted by their peers. Bullying the most common form of violence
faced by our nation's youth.
The frequency and intensity of bullying that young people face are
astounding: 1 in 7 Students in Grades K-12 is either a bully or a
victim of bullying; 90% of 4th to 8th Grade Students report being
victims of bullying of some type; 56% of students have personally
witnessed some type of bullying at school; 71% of students report
incidents of bullying as a problem at their school; 15% of all students
who don't show up for school report it to being out of fear of being
bullied while at school; 1 out of 20 students has seen a student with a
gun at school; 282,000 students are physically attacked in secondary
schools each month.
Consequences of bullying: 15% of all school absenteeism is directly
related to fears of being bullied at school; according to bullying
statistics, 1 out of every 10 students who drops out of school does so
because of repeated bullying; suicides linked to bullying are the
saddest statistic.
Statistics on Gun Violence: homicide is the 2nd leading cause of
death for young people ages 15 to 24 years old; homicide is the leading
cause of death for African Americans between ages 10 and 24; thirteen
young people from ages 10-24 become victims of homicide every day;
82.8% of those youths were killed with a firearm; every 30 minutes, a
child or teenager in America is injured by a gun; every 3 hours and 15
minutes, a child or teenager loses their life to a firearm; in 2010, 82
children under 5 years of age lost their lives due to guns; one of four
high school males reportedly carry a weapon to school, with 8.6% of
reportedly carry a gun; 87% of youth said shootings are motivated by a
desire to ``get back at those who have hurt them, and 86% said, ``other
kids picking on them, making fun of them or bullying them'' causes
teenagers to turn to lethal violence in the schools; in 2011, over
707,000 young people, aged 10 to 24 years, had to be rushed to the
emergency room as a result of physical assault injuries.
Victims of bullying often suffer in silence and parents are the last
ones to know that their child is being bullied or may be a bully. What
once was thought to be a childhood ritual has been proven by school
psychologists, law enforcement officials, parents, and students to be
much more serious.
Anti-bullying programs can help children understand the seriousness
of bullying; and assist parents in learning the signs of bullying as
well as learning how to speak to their children about the issue of
bullying.
H.R. 10 will consolidate two existing federal charter school programs
into one:
The Charter School Program, which supports grants for charter school
developers to open new charter schools. The program also provides funds
to disseminate best practices and provide state facilities aid to
charter schools.
The Charter School Credit Enhancement Program assists charter schools
in accessing better credit terms to acquire and renovate facilities to
operate a charter school.
The rule will allow the consideration of the bill that will create a
new federal charter schools program to promote high-quality charter
schools at the state and local level; and allows states to use federal
funds to start new charter schools as well as expand and replicate
existing high-quality charter schools.
The bill adds a new component--a Charter Management Organization
grant program to support the opening of additional charter schools
nationwide.
H.R. 10 establishes a new Charter School Program that would consist
of three parts:
Grants to support high-quality charter schools will be awarded to a
State Educational Agency, the State Charter School Board, the Governor,
or a Charter School Support Organization.
Facilities Aid will be awarded to continue credit enhancement
activities and support state facilities aid for charter schools.
National Activities will allow the secretary of education to operate
a grant competition for charter schools in states that did not win or
compete for a state grant and a competition for high quality CMOs.
The legislation adds five new definitions: a ``charter management
organization, a charter support organization'', a ``high-quality
charter school''; the ``expansion of a high-quality charter school'';
and a ``replicable, high-quality charter school model.''
H.R. 10 authorizes $300,000,000 for fiscal years 2015 through 2020.
The bill permits state-determined weighted lotteries and allows
students to continue in the school program of their choice by
clarifying students in affiliated charter schools can attend the next
immediate grade in that network's school.
I strongly believe that where our children are concerned, Congress is
in a unique position to advocate on their behalf in an effective and
forceful way. Letting children know by our actions that members of
Congress consider the lives of children and their experience to be of
the utmost importance would help them in countless ways.
We cannot gamble with our children's future, and ultimately the
future of our nation. I am committed to finding ways to make sure that
education is as valued as national defense--because education is
crucial to our nation's global success in all areas.
Mr. McCARTHY of California. Mr. Chair, education remains one of the
greatest keys to success in our society, yet there are children across
the nation without access to a good school.
There is no single cure. No child or community is the same. And often
the educational solutions in one community won't fit those in another.
But there are local solutions already working across the nation.
Recently, I spoke with my friend, Barbara Grimm-Marshall, a
successful businesswoman with their family company Grimmway Farms.
For years her family funded college scholarships for the children of
her employees, but every year applications for that scholarship were
low.
She found that when kids in Arvin, CA were old enough to go to
college, most were not ready. Committed to the belief that every child
should have a bright future, she took action.
That is why, in 2011, Barbara took it upon herself to offer children
in the community the opportunity to achieve a successful. She opened a
charter school.
She had never run a school herself, so she did what we are trying to
promote today; she replicated a successful school, Rocketship Charter
School in San Jose.
After only 3 years, Grimmway Academy was a California Distinguished
School whose students had the highest test scores in the district.
Grimmway Academy is proof that new ideas and innovation works to help
our children.
Sadly, the lack of educational opportunity exists in too many towns.
We have an obligation to expand educational opportunities and school
choice so that every child has the chance to attend a successful
school.
I applaud my colleagues John Kline and George Miller for coming
together and sponsoring this legislation.
Education transcends political boundaries, and this House will
continue to work toward solutions to ensure the next generation, no
matter their circumstance, is afforded every opportunity for a better
life.
Mr. HINOJOSA. Mr. Chair, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 10,
the ``Success and Opportunity Through Quality Charter Schools Act.''
Mr. Speaker, I support this bill because it strengthens the Federal
Charter School Program (CSP) and promotes quality, accountability and
equity for public charter schools participating in the Federal Charter
School Program.
H.R. 10 requires public charter schools to be of ``high quality'' in
order to receive Charter School Program funds to open, replicate or
expand. Under this bill, ``high quality'' charter schools must show
evidence of strong academic results for all students.
H.R. 10 promotes quality in charter school authorizing. This bill
requires state entities to have in place or be working toward a charter
school authorizing system that utilizes a process for approval,
monitoring, re-approval or revocation of authority of public charter
school authorizers in the state, based on performance of the schools
authorized by the agency.
Mr. Speaker, the underlying bill prioritizes equity of access and
services for disadvantaged students, including english learners and
students with disabilities.
H.R. 10, for example, allows grantees to utilize weighted lotteries,
when permitted by state law, to preference admissions for educationally
disadvantaged students.
Along the same lines, this legislation requires that state entities
receiving a CSP grant provide technical assistance to any charter
schools receiving funds to ensure they fully understand federal
requirements for serving underserved student populations.
[[Page H4009]]
Finally, I am pleased that the underlying bill requires that state
entities receiving a Charter School Program grant describe how they
will ensure that all charter schools receiving CSP funds through its
grant will meet the educational needs of students with disabilities and
english language learners.
In my view, these improvements to the Federal Charter School Program
enhance quality, accountability, and equity for charter schools
participating in the federal CSP program and ensure that only states
with strong oversight will receive CSP federal dollars.
In my congressional district, public charter schools like IDEA public
schools are transforming lives. Under the extraordinary leadership of
Tom Torkelson and JoAnn Gama, IDEA public schools are closing
achievement gaps, increasing high school graduation rates, and
preparing students for college and careers. At this time, I personally
want to thank them for their outstanding work in the Riio Grande Valley
of South Texas.
In closing, I commend Chairman Kline and ranking member Miller for
their tremendous leadership on this bipartisan bill and urge my
colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support the passage of H.R.
10.
Mrs. McMORRIS RODGERS. Mr. Chair, I rise in strong support for H.R.
10, the Student Success and Opportunity through Quality Charter Schools
Act, and the promise that charter schools hold to ensure that all
students are able to reach their full potential.
Let me also take this opportunity to congratulate Washington State
and the eight charter schools that have been certified to open in the
state within the next two years, including PRIDE Prep Charter School in
Spokane. Washington State has made significant reforms to its
educational system and should be recognized for its efforts.
Charter schools are about empowerment and opportunity. Giving parents
the ability to meet the needs of their children, particularly those
students who are disadvantaged, have special needs, or are English
Language Learners.
I know firsthand the benefits of a charter school education. My own
son, Cole, was enrolled in Apple Tree charter school here in DC and he
flourished. Apple Tree was able to provide him with an innovative
education that was targeted to meet his needs. All parents should have
this choice and opportunity for their children.
H.R. 10 moves us in that direction by encouraging states to expand
and replicate high performing charter schools. It gives security to
states and school boards that space will be available to build schools
or rehabilitate them. Finally, H.R. 10 encourages the distribution of
best of practices to ensure all schools have access to critical
information.
No one in this Chamber would argue that a strong education system is
foundational to keeping our nation competitive and a leader in the 21st
century and beyond. And, no one will argue that a strong, quality
education for our children is integral for their growth, their
development and their success for whatever path they choose. H.R. 10
takes us toward that goal.
I encourage my colleagues to support H.R. 10.
The Acting CHAIR. All time for general debate has expired.
Mr. KLINE. Mr. Chair, I move that the Committee do now rise.
The motion was agreed to.
Accordingly, the Committee rose; and the Speaker pro tempore (Mr.
Massie) having assumed the chair, Mr. Bishop of Utah, Chair of the
Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union, reported that
that Committee, having had under consideration the bill (H.R. 10) to
amend the charter school program under the Elementary and Secondary
Education Act of 1965, had come to no resolution thereon.
____________________