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People & committees
Rep. Courtney, Joe [D-CT-2] · D–CT
Legislative record
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Referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce.
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Primary sources
Text links open the official source. We also preserved the text version used in the PlainBill explanation below.
Source last updated: Oct 7, 2026. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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PlainBill explanation
Based on the full Introduced in House · 2026-09-16 text. This explanation has not received human editorial review. This overview describes the proposal’s major provisions; it does not establish what its real-world effects would be.
The proposed MAGNET Act would expand federal support for magnet schools and create supplemental grants to help state and local education agencies increase racial and socioeconomic integration. Grants could support transportation, inclusive enrollment, teaching, facilities, and family participation. Supplemental grants would exclude applicants with application fees or fee-related admission rules, and recipients would face reporting and improvement requirements. These are proposed changes, not established law in the supplied record.
to create a supplemental diversity grant for aspiring magnet school programs to adopt effective practices designed to further desegregation aims and promote racial and socioeconomic diversity
providing free and accessible transportation for students to attend the magnet school
The Secretary shall not award a grant under this section to an eligible entity that plans to establish, or has in place, application fees or admissions criteria related to fees.
The Secretary shall pursue enforcement actions against a grant recipient under this section that fails to demonstrate the improvements described in subparagraphs (C) through (H) of paragraph (1).
Grant funds made available under this section may be used by an eligible entity to support any of the following:
Activities that increase the capacity of existing facilities to house specialized magnet programs or convert entirely to magnet schools
Activities that support a rigorous, well-rounded curriculum and high-quality instruction
Activities that support family engagement
2026-09-16: Introduced in House
Section 1 would name the bill the MAGNET Act. Its stated purposes are to create supplemental diversity grants and support voluntary state efforts to increase diversity across school districts.
This Act may be cited as the Magnet Schools Accessibility, Growth, and Nonexclusionary Enrollment Transformation Act or the MAGNET Act.
(1) to create a supplemental diversity grant for aspiring magnet school programs to adopt effective practices designed to further desegregation aims and promote racial and socioeconomic diversity; and (2) to supplement voluntary State efforts to promote inter-district diversity.
Section 2 presents congressional findings linking integrated schools to academic and social benefits. It also describes inclusive enrollment, family engagement, free transportation, and schoolwide participation as features associated with effective diversity efforts. These are the bill's stated findings, not demonstrated effects of this proposal.
Congress finds the following:
The benefits of integrated schools extend to all students regardless of race or socioeconomic background.
Research finds that magnet schools that most effectively foster school diversity share common features, including incorporation of integration into school design, ongoing family engagement, implementation of inclusive enrollment practices, and provision of free transportation. In addition, whole school magnets in which all students in the school can participate in the programming can be more diverse than in-school magnet programs.
Section 4 would add state education agencies alongside eligible local education agencies and groups of eligible local agencies in the existing Magnet Schools Assistance Program. It would also make several existing requirements subject to exceptions under the new supplemental-grant section.
in section 4403, by striking eligible local educational agencies, and consortia of such agencies and inserting State educational agencies, eligible local educational agencies, and consortia of eligible local educational agencies
by inserting (except as provided under section 4408A) after under this part
New general-program award criteria would favor whole-school magnet designs, choice across district boundaries and accessible locations, improvements across a district or state, and inclusive enrollment. Inclusive enrollment examples include weighted lotteries—random selection systems that give some applicants greater chances. Applicants meeting more than one criterion would receive additional priority.
(4) propose to establish whole-school magnet schools through proposing to design and implement schools that incorporate integration into school design, mission, structure, focus, and goals, over the placement of a specialized magnet program in a non-magnet public school; (5) propose to newly implement or continue the implementation of inter-district public school choice programs, and propose magnet schools constructed or placed in a location that optimizes diversity and accessibility to transportation for low-income students; (6) propose to improve the diversity and performance of the local educational agency, consortium of local educational agencies, or State as a whole versus focusing on improvements confined to an individual school; or (7) propose to design and implement inclusive enrollment practices, such as utilizing weighted lotteries and other inclusive and accessible practices that are consistent with the latest research and evidence-based practices identified by the Secretary.
the Secretary shall give additional priority to applicants that meet more than 1 criterion under subsection (a).
First-time applicants and previously unsuccessful applicants that receive grants could use up to 1 percent of their grants for help implementing their magnet-school plans. Separately, the Secretary could reserve up to 1 percent of annual program appropriations for technical assistance and sharing best practices.
that is a novice or first-time applicant for a grant under this part and receives a grant under this part may use not more than 1 percent of the grant funds for technical assistance in implementing the magnet school plan.
the term novice, when used with respect to an applicant, means as applicant that applied for a grant under this part previously but did not receive such a grant.
The Secretary may reserve not more than 1 percent of the funds appropriated under subsection (a) for any fiscal year to provide technical assistance and share best practices with respect to magnet school programs assisted under this part.
The bill would authorize Congress to provide whatever funding is necessary for fiscal years 2027–2031; this authorization does not itself provide money. From annual appropriations, the Secretary would have to spend at least $109 million on the program outside supplemental grants and could use amounts above $109 million for supplemental grants.
There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this part such sums as may be necessary for fiscal years 2027 through 2031.
From the total amount appropriated under subsection (a) for any fiscal year, the Secretary shall expend not less than $109,000,000 to carry out this part, except for section 4408A. The Secretary may use any amounts appropriated under subsection (a) for a fiscal year that are in excess of $109,000,000 to carry out section 4408A.
When annual appropriations exceed $75 million, the Secretary would have to prioritize the amount above that threshold for grants to agencies or agency groups that did not receive a program grant in the preceding fiscal year.
In any fiscal year for which the amount appropriated pursuant to subsection (a) exceeds $75,000,000, the Secretary shall give priority in using such amounts in excess of $75,000,000 to awarding grants to State educational agencies, local educational agencies, or consortia of local educational agencies that did not receive a grant under this part in the preceding fiscal year.
Section 5 would authorize supplemental grants for state education agencies, local education agencies, and groups of local agencies. Applicants must not have received a grant under the broader program during the preceding three years and must seek additional evidence-based practices to advance desegregation and diversity.
The Secretary, in accordance with this section, is authorized to award grants to eligible entities— (1) that have not received a grant under this part during the 3-year period preceding the date of the grant award under this section; and (2) that are looking to adopt additional effective, evidence-based practices designed to further desegregation aims and promote diversity.
the term eligible entity means a local educational agency, consortium of such agencies, or State educational agency, including an agency or consortium that is described in paragraph (1) or (2) of section 4404.
The Secretary would set reasonable application timing, format, information, and assurances. Applications would also need the assurances referenced in existing section 4405(b)(2), and state applicants would have to explain how magnet schools would promote integration in their state.
An eligible entity desiring to receive a grant under this section shall submit an application to the Secretary at such time, in such manner, and containing such information and assurances as the Secretary may reasonably require.
the same assurances described in section 4405(b)(2).
A State educational agency that submits an application under paragraph (1) shall describe how, specifically, the State views magnet schools as a solution to promote integration in the State.
Applicants would have to explain their integration plans with supporting evidence or, when evidence is unavailable, a rationale based on current research. They would also describe past and current voluntary desegregation efforts and their results.
how a grant awarded under this section will be used to promote socioeconomic and racial integration, and implement evidence-based practices, including any evidence, or if such evidence is not available, a rationale based upon current research findings, to support the grant promoting socioeconomic and racial integration
whether the applicant— (I) has ever engaged in any voluntary desegregation effort, and to what extent such efforts have increased student diversity and decreased racial or socioeconomic isolation in schools served by such applicant; and (II) is engaged in any voluntary desegregation effort on the date of submitting the application, and to what extent
Applications would have to describe inclusive enrollment and outreach to families from varied backgrounds. Outreach plans must identify communication platforms, languages used by local students and families, and how families can enter a lottery or another inclusive enrollment pool.
how the applicant will construct inclusive enrollment practices, such as utilizing weighted lotteries and other inclusive and accessible practices that are consistent with the latest research and evidence-based practices identified by the Secretary
how the applicant will ensure that families from a multitude of racial, ethnic, socioeconomic, and linguistic backgrounds are aware of magnet schools and the application process, including a description of— (I) the variety of platforms (such as social media, print, television, and radio) the applicant will use to make families aware of magnet schools and the application process; (II) the language spoken by students and families in the region the applicant covers and how the applicant will make information on magnet schools and the application process available in these languages; and (III) how to enter a lottery or other inclusive enrollment pool for magnet schools
Applications would need plans for academic improvement, social and emotional learning, and restorative discipline aimed at reducing suspension and expulsion. Applicants would also explain how funds would close student opportunity and achievement gaps, fit with other education programs where appropriate, and improve the district overall.
the manner and extent to which the proposed activities will increase student academic achievement in the instructional area offered by the school, including any evidence, or if such evidence is not available, a rationale based on current research findings, to support the activities increasing student academic achievement
(vi) how the applicant will support the social and emotional learning of students; (vii) how the applicant will implement restorative school discipline policies that reduce the use of suspension and expulsion and improve overall school climate
(ix) how grant funds under this section will be used to— (I) improve student academic achievement for all students attending the magnet school programs; (II) close historic opportunity and achievement gaps between each of the subgroups of students, defined in section 1111(c)(2), attending the magnet school programs; and (III) implement services and activities that are consistent with other programs under this Act, as appropriate; and (x) how the magnet program funded by the grant will improve the overall quality of the school district the program is housed within
Applicants would need a data plan with definitions and reduction targets for segregation. It must track enrollment, graduation, achievement, academic growth, and social-emotional outcomes; report data separately for statutory student subgroups; and make data accessible with opportunities for timely feedback.
developing a data plan that— (I) is aligned to a clear vision for equity, with specific criteria for determining racial or socioeconomic segregation and a target for reducing these conditions; (II) monitors the goal of reducing racial segregation by tracking multiple measures of success (including by enrollment, graduation rates, academic achievement, academic growth, and social-emotional outcomes); (III) disaggregates data across subgroups of students, as defined in section 1111(c)(2); and (IV) ensures data collected are accessible, with opportunities to include stakeholder feedback in a timely manner
Supplemental-grant priorities would favor integration built into school design, inclusive enrollment, evidence-based responses to persistent educational disparities, permitted partnerships across district boundaries, free accessible transportation, and family and community involvement. Meeting more than one criterion would earn additional priority.
the Secretary shall give priority to applicants that— (A) have integration embedded into school design, mission, structure, focus, and goals; (B) propose to design and implement inclusive enrollment practices, such as utilizing weighted lotteries and other inclusive and accessible practices that are consistent with the latest research and evidence-based practices identified by the Secretary; (C) continue to experience pronounced disparities in educational opportunities between each of the subgroups of students, defined in section 1111(c)(2), and propose to use funds to carry out evidence-based practices to reduce such disparities; (D) demonstrate a commitment to furthering inter-district diversity through partnerships with neighboring local educational agencies in States that allow for these types of partnerships; (E) demonstrate the provision of free and accessible transportation for students to attend the magnet school programs served by such grant funds; or (F) demonstrate a commitment to authentically engaging families and community members from a multitude of racial, ethnic, socioeconomic, and linguistic backgrounds at all stages in the magnet program’s development and operations.
the Secretary shall give additional priority to applicants that meet more than 1 criterion under paragraph (1).
Supplemental grants could last no more than five fiscal years and total no more than $7.5 million per recipient for the grant period. An applicant with existing or planned application fees or fee-related admission criteria could not receive one.
The Secretary shall not award a grant under this section to an eligible entity that plans to establish, or has in place, application fees or admissions criteria related to fees.
(1) Duration of awards A grant under this section shall be awarded for a period that shall not exceed 5 fiscal years. (2) Amount No grant awarded under this section to an eligible entity shall exceed $7,500,000 for the grant period.
Permitted supplemental-grant activities would include collecting and evaluating data, setting enrollment diversity goals, and recruiting students from public housing within the district where such housing exists.
Grant funds made available under this section may be used by an eligible entity to support any of the following:
(A) providing for ongoing data collection and evaluation activities to promote continuous improvement that ensures fidelity of magnet implementation; (B) developing and refining diversity goals for magnet school enrollment; and (C) ensuring student recruitment for magnet schools includes students in public housing within the boundaries of the school district, if it exists.
Recipients could use up to 15 percent of a supplemental grant for infrastructure improvements and necessary equipment to operate a themed magnet program in an existing public school. Permitted activities would also include converting an entire existing school into a magnet school.
Activities that increase the capacity of existing facilities to house specialized magnet programs or convert entirely to magnet schools, such as— (A) providing not more than 15 percent of the grant funds for making infrastructure improvements and necessary equipment purchases to enable an existing public school facility to effectively develop, implement, and operate a thematic magnet school program; and (B) allowing existing facilities or schools to transition entirely to a magnet school rather than a traditional school housing a magnet program.
Supplemental grants could support recruitment materials and events, free accessible transportation, and an employee who spends at least a majority of their time on enrollment activities, including outreach to underserved communities.
(A) supporting enhanced selection and recruitment materials and activities (including parent tours, open houses, and revised marketing materials); (B) providing free and accessible transportation for students to attend the magnet school; and (C) funding an individual employed by the eligible entity to devote at least a majority of the employee’s time to enrollment activities, including reaching underserved communities to support the school’s diversity goals.
Teacher recruitment activities could include partnerships with nearby colleges offering extensive practical teacher preparation, including historically Black, Tribal, and other minority-serving institutions. Grants could also pay to hire subject specialists with at least ten years of relevant work experience; this provision does not expressly waive teaching-license requirements.
(A) forging partnerships with nearby institutions of higher education with comprehensive educator preparation programs that incorporate extensive clinical practice and experience, including historically Black colleges and universities, Tribal Colleges and Universities, and other minority-serving institutions, to recruit educators with a stated desire to work in a magnet program served by the eligible entity; and (B) hiring prospective educators who are instructional area specialists, defined as educators with a specialized knowledge of an instructional area that is gained over not less than 10 years of work experience in a relevant field, to teach at magnet programs served by the eligible entity.
Grants could support staff training, teaching responsive to students' cultural backgrounds, professional networking, themed curriculum, updated equipment and learning materials, and hands-on learning such as field trips and projects.
(A) providing ongoing professional development to educators, principals, other school leaders, specialized instructional support personnel, and other staff (such as cultural competency training, job-embedded coaching, social and emotional learning, activities that support college, career, and life readiness, and other activities); (B) creating culturally responsive teaching and learning environments; (C) offering school staff members opportunities for networking and attending conferences; (D) encouraging theme integration throughout the curriculum and curriculum writing; (E) updating equipment and resources, such as by utilizing supplemental materials to enhance and enrich the magnet theme and developing multiple assessments to engage different types of learners; and (F) developing and implementing opportunities for students to participate in experiential learning, including through field trips and meaningful project-based learning.
Family-engagement spending could cover food, public transportation assistance, and child care subsidies for events supporting low-income families. Other allowed activities include community services, representative advisory boards, family learning events, and parent participation in recruitment.
(A) planning community events specifically geared toward supporting low-income families, such as through purchasing food, providing subsidies or passes for local public transportation services, and providing subsidies for child care services while parents are engaging with the magnet school; (B) establishing schools housing magnet programs as centerpieces of their community through outreach and wraparound services; (C) creating a community advisory board, demographically reflective of both the local community where the magnet school is located and the broader community of students planning to attend the magnet school, to assist the magnet school in providing support and guidance in the selection and implementation of their respective theme; (D) providing opportunities for families to participate in exploration of the magnet theme, guest speaker presentations, and author visits; and (E) inviting parents to be a part of the recruitment team that helps promote the magnet program.
Recipients could develop partnerships with businesses, health and human services agencies, and other community organizations to support magnet-school themes and students' learning experiences.
Strengthening partnerships in the community, such as developing community partnerships with businesses, health and human services agencies, and other entities that enhance and support the magnet theme and provide rich learning and educational experiences for students.
Regional integration activities could include urban-suburban planning, payments to help receiving schools cover transfer costs, measurable diversity goals, regional magnet programs and capital improvements, public information campaigns, and transportation, counseling, and family contacts for transferring students.
(A) collaborating with urban and suburban districts in a comprehensive regional plan; (B) providing financial incentives to help receiving schools cover the cost of transferring students; (C) creating a clear vision for equity that includes a set of goals and benchmarks, which are responsive to realistic timelines and local factors, for achieving greater diversity, educational quality, and equity for targeted student subgroups that are specific to the region; (D) establishing a measurable definition of and means to reduce racial isolation at school and classroom levels; (E) investing in regional magnet programs, capital improvements, and educator professional development that raise the quality of schooling options available in all districts; (F) developing marketing campaigns that build strong and accessible systems of public information around schooling options; and (G) offering services for transfer students and families that include transportation, school counseling, and family liaisons.
Supplemental grants could also fund restorative discipline policies intended to reduce suspensions and expulsions and improve school climate. The text describes these as permitted activities, not guaranteed results.
Activities that support the implementation of restorative discipline policies that reduce the use of suspension and expulsion and improve overall school climate.
Supplemental-grant recipients would have to submit annual reports on spending, accessible outreach, immediate and projected diversity effects, academic achievement, access to curriculum and qualified educators, and educational opportunities. The Secretary would have to publish the reports annually.
Each eligible entity that receives a grant under this section shall, on an annual basis, prepare and submit a report to the Secretary containing information about— (A) how the grant funds were used; (B) how the grant recipient widely distributed information about the magnet school funded by the grant in an accessible manner; (C) the immediate and projected near-term impact, over the remaining period of the grant, that the grant funds had and will have on increasing socioeconomic or racial diversity, or both, in schools served by the eligible entity, or in magnet school programs served by such entity, or both; (D) how, if applicable, the grant funds fostered inter-district diversity; (E) how the grant funds increased student academic achievement in the instructional area offered by the magnet school or local educational agency, or both; (F) how the grant funds improved academic achievement of all students across all subjects in schools served by the eligible entity; (G) how the grant funds improved students’ access to well-rounded curriculum and prepared, qualified educators; and (H) how the grant funds improved the quality of education for students attending the magnet school program or schools served by the eligible entity, or both, measured by a tangible increase in access to other opportunities outlined in subsection (b)(2).
The Secretary shall, on an annual basis, make public the reports received under paragraph (1).
The Secretary would have to pursue enforcement when a supplemental-grant recipient fails to demonstrate the specified improvements. After two fiscal years, if tangible and noticeable improvement is unclear, the Secretary would have to send written concerns.
The Secretary shall pursue enforcement actions against a grant recipient under this section that fails to demonstrate the improvements described in subparagraphs (C) through (H) of paragraph (1).
In a case in which the Secretary determines that it is not clear that grant funds awarded under this section to a grant recipient are making a tangible and noticeable improvement in the areas described in subparagraphs (C) through (H) of paragraph (1), the Secretary shall, after 2 fiscal years, provide a written notice to the grant recipient containing the Secretary’s concerns regarding the recipient’s use of grant funds.
A recipient receiving that notice would have 90 days to submit a plan to address the concerns within one year of receiving the notice.
A grant recipient that receives a written notice under clause (i) shall, not later than 90 days after the date of receipt of the notice, submit to the Secretary a plan for addressing the Secretary’s concerns not later than 1 year after the date of receipt of the notice.
If the Secretary determines that the recipient has not addressed the concerns as required, a further notice would require return of remaining funds within 90 days or, for annually disbursed grants, end further grant payments.
In a case in which the Secretary determines that a grant recipient has not addressed the Secretary's concerns in accordance with subparagraph (B)(ii), the Secretary shall provide a written notice to the grant recipient— (i) to return the remainder of the grant funds not later than 90 days after the date of receipt of the written notice; or (ii) if the grant awarded to the recipient is disbursed on an annual basis, that the recipient will no longer receive a grant under this section.
The supplied official-actions snapshot, updated October 7, 2026, records introduction in the House and referral to the House Committee on Education and Workforce on September 16, 2026. This snapshot does not establish what happened afterward.
Source snapshot updated 2026-10-07T15:51:12Z. 2026-09-16: Referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce. 2026-09-16: Introduced in House
A closer look
Reviewed version: Introduced in House · 2026-09-16. These findings describe provisions and who may benefit; they are not judgments of waste, corruption, or motive.
This review covers the supplied bill text. “None identified” does not rule out provisions in later versions or accompanying reports and disclosures.
Provisions outside the bill’s main subject, or policy changes attached to appropriations.
None identified in the reviewed text
No unrelated provision or policy rider attached to appropriations was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion does not cover other versions or accompanying materials.
Spending directed to particular recipients or places outside ordinary competitive or formula-based allocation.
None identified in the reviewed text
No congressionally directed spending for a particular recipient or place was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. Program authorizations and grant criteria alone do not establish earmarks. This conclusion does not cover other versions or accompanying materials.
Narrow exceptions, exemptions, or preferential treatment that warrant a closer look.
None identified in the reviewed text
No materially narrow special benefit outside ordinary program eligibility, priorities, participation support, and administration was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion does not cover other versions or accompanying materials.
Full text preserved for this analysis. Legislative record snapshot: Oct 7, 2026. How PlainBill uses AI