HR2275-119

What This Bill Does

The SCHOOL Act turns major federal K-12 grant streams into student-following allocations where state law permits. For ESEA titles I, III, IV, V, and VI, a state educational agency must allocate funds among local educational agencies based on public-school enrollment and directly to eligible children in private schools or home schools through education savings accounts. Funds may be used for curriculum, books, technology, online materials, tutoring, private school tuition, extracurricular activities, testing fees, diagnostic tools, and educational therapies for students with disabilities. States must collect annual parent or guardian notices of school choice, use the information only for calculating and distributing funds, and distribute public-school amounts to local agencies and schools by enrollment while supplementing rather than supplanting nonfederal funds. The bill creates a parallel IDEA student-following rule for eligible children with disabilities, including direct education savings accounts for private school and home school students. It preserves free and reduced-price school lunch eligibility and says the bill does not authorize federal or state control over non-public education providers.

Who Benefits and How

Private school students benefit because eligible ESEA and IDEA funding could reach them through education savings accounts. Home school students benefit from direct education savings account access for allowable educational expenses. Parents of children with disabilities benefit because IDEA funds could follow eligible children to private or home school placements. School choice organizations benefit from federal grant formulas that follow children across public, private, and home school settings.

Who Bears the Burden and How

State educational agencies must build allocation plans, collect annual school-attendance notices, and administer education savings accounts. Local educational agencies may lose funds when eligible children attend private schools or home schools instead of public schools. Public schools may receive federal allocations based on enrolled eligible children rather than all eligible children in the district. Education Department oversight staff must monitor supplement-not-supplant, private-school participation, and non-control requirements.

Key Provisions

• Requires ESEA title I, III, IV, V, and VI funds to follow eligible children to public, private, or home schools where state law permits.
• Creates education savings account allocations for private school and home school students.
• Requires IDEA funds to follow eligible children with disabilities using a parallel allocation structure.
• Authorizes uses including curriculum, technology, tutoring, tuition, testing, diagnostic tools, and educational therapies.
• Preserves school lunch eligibility and bars federal or state control over non-public education providers.