WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate on Tuesday unanimously approved legislation to expand charter schools, with bipartisan support.
The legislation is the latest effort by Republicans in Congress to roll back some of President Donald Trump’s actions on education.
A Democratic-led committee in the House is expected to take up the measure later this week.
The bill would allow states to opt out of some of the federal requirements for charter schools.
Currently, states must certify that a charter school meets federal standards, including a graduation rate and test scores, and are required to set aside at least 30 percent of the school’s classrooms for students who qualify for free or reduced lunch.
Charter schools currently receive state funding through federal aid.
While the legislation allows states to set their own benchmarks, some states have said they are reluctant to set up a process to certify the school to meet federal standards.
In addition, some charter schools that receive federal aid, such as the Detroit-based TFA Group, say the requirements are too onerous.