H.R. 10421: Transforming Education for the Future Act

This bill would make wide-ranging changes to federal K-12 education policy and funding. It would increase federal support for public schools, preschool, meals, literacy programs, arts and history education, school mental health, and school safety. It would also add new rules for how some programs operate, how schools report data, and how states and districts must use certain grants.

School funding and program expansion

The bill authorizes substantial federal funding for several education programs, including community schools, literacy initiatives, arts education, school libraries, accountability and improvement programs, mental health services, and school meal programs. It also expands support for preschool and makes funding formulas and grant priorities more targeted toward high-need, rural, tribal, and Native Hawaiian communities.

Community schools

The bill reworks the federal community schools program. It defines what community schools are, identifies core “pillars” of the model, and sets expectations for leadership teams and measurable results. It expands grants for planning, implementation, and growth of these schools. It also requires reporting on student outcomes, school climate, staffing, services provided, partnerships, and potential cost savings. States and districts would face new rules for renewals, technical assistance, and program evaluation, and Congress would receive a report on how the program is working.

Literacy and reading instruction

The bill overhauls federal literacy grants by prioritizing “science of reading” approaches, early screening for reading difficulties, tutoring, teacher training, and parent notification. It excludes three-cueing reading methods from supported programs. It expands grants to low-performing states and adds assessment-related reforms. It also limits federal control over curriculum choices while creating new reporting and task force requirements.

Testing, accountability, and school improvement

The bill creates competitive grants for innovative assessments and increases funding for school accountability and improvement. It promotes project-based learning and broader forms of student evaluation. It also adds school climate and safety measures, provides anti-bias discipline guidance, and funds efforts related to school desegregation.

Teachers, paraprofessionals, and educator supports

The bill includes several provisions aimed at supporting school staff. It funds training in AI and digital literacy, raises teacher salary support with a goal of $60,000, provides for cost-of-living adjustments, and supports recruitment and retention of paraprofessionals. It also requires reporting on paraprofessional wages, staffing shortages, and professional development. Collective bargaining protections are included in the bill’s framework.

Mental health, substance use, and school climate

The bill creates or expands initiatives for educator mental health and suicide prevention, as well as school-based opioid and fentanyl education and grant programs. It adds data collection and reporting requirements and supports broader school climate reforms. Separate provisions fund school violence prevention and mental health staffing.

Discipline, corporal punishment, seclusion, and restraint

The bill bans corporal punishment in federally funded programs and sets rules for state plans, reporting, federal oversight, and parent notification. It also bans unlawful seclusion and dangerous restraint in federally funded schools, allowing only emergency physical restraint. Schools would have to notify parents, report incidents, train staff, and follow state oversight requirements. The bill also funds positive behavioral support programs intended to reduce exclusionary discipline such as suspensions and expulsions.

Bullying and civil rights protections

The bill requires schools and states to collect and report bullying data and to adopt anti-bullying policies. It also includes protections related to school libraries, including First Amendment and nondiscrimination requirements, and adds liability protections for staff following “right to read” policies. In addition, it funds desegregation efforts and anti-bias discipline guidance.

School libraries and digital literacy

The bill adds digital literacy and school-library activities to federal education programs. It requires biennial collection and reporting of school library data and supports library-related services and staffing. The bill also links library policies to protections for speech and nondiscrimination.

Pre-K and school meals

The bill expands preschool funding and makes it more prescriptive, with a focus on equitable access. It also changes school meal policy in a major way: it moves toward universal free breakfast and lunch, raises reimbursement rates, and expands access to summer meals and child nutrition benefits. It bans meal debt collection and “breakfast shaming,” repeals reduced-price meal categories, and adds rules for handling delinquent meal debt. It also updates eligibility and fraud-prevention rules for Summer EBT and related benefit programs.

Education data and charter/voucher policy

The bill funds statewide education data systems and a technical assistance clearinghouse. It also restricts for-profit control of charter schools and repeals school voucher programs, shifting federal support toward public education rather than private-school subsidies.

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