Empower Charter School Educators to Lead Act

This bill significantly amends the federal grant program for high-quality charter schools, aiming to enhance their development and oversight. It introduces new provisions to support the creation of well-planned charter initiatives and strengthen accountability measures for existing ones. A central feature is the establishment of **pre-charter planning subgrants**, offering up to $100,000 to charter school developers. These subgrants are specifically for initiatives led by **experienced educators** with demonstrated leadership and success, ensuring a strong foundation for new schools. Additionally, states receiving these grants must improve the quality of their charter school authorizing agencies, including robust **fiscal oversight and auditing** of charter schools. The legislation also adjusts the allocation of grant funds to support these new activities. It reserves up to 5% of funds for the pre-charter planning subgrants and modifies percentages for direct subgrants, technical assistance, and administrative costs, ensuring resources are aligned with the bill's objectives.