[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3009 Introduced in House (IH)]







106th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3009

  To authorize the Secretary of Education to make grants to State and 
 local educational agencies to support programs that promote a variety 
 of educational opportunities, options, and choices in public schools.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            October 4, 1999

    Mr. Roemer (for himself, Mr. Clement, Mr. Gonzalez, Mr. Hill of 
  Indiana, Mr. Lampson, Mrs. Maloney of New York, and Mr. Maloney of 
 Connecticut) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                Committee on Education and the Workforce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To authorize the Secretary of Education to make grants to State and 
 local educational agencies to support programs that promote a variety 
 of educational opportunities, options, and choices in public schools.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Public School Choice Act of 1999''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE.

    (a) Findings.--The Congress finds that--
            (1) a wide variety of educational opportunities, options, 
        and choices in the public school system is needed to help all 
        children achieve to high standards;
            (2) high-quality public school choice programs that are 
        genuinely open and accessible to all students (including poor, 
        minority, limited English proficient, and disabled students) 
        broaden educational opportunities and promote excellence in 
        education;
            (3) current research shows that--
                    (A) students learn in different ways, benefiting 
                from different teaching methods and instructional 
                settings; and
                    (B) family involvement in a child's education is a 
                key factor supporting student achievement;
            (4) public school systems have begun to develop a variety 
        of innovative programs that offer expanded choices to parents 
        and students; and
            (5) the Federal Government should support and expand 
        efforts to give students and parents the high-quality public 
        school choices they seek, to help eliminate barriers to 
        effective public school choice, and to disseminate the lessons 
        learned from high-quality choice programs so that all public 
        schools can benefit from these efforts.
    (b) Purpose.--It is the purpose of this Act to identify and support 
innovative approaches to high-quality public school choice by providing 
financial assistance for the demonstration, development, 
implementation, and evaluation of, and dissemination of information 
about, public school choice projects that stimulate educational 
innovation for all public schools and contribute to standards-based 
school reform efforts.

SEC. 3. GRANTS.

    (a) In General.--From funds appropriated under section 6(a) and not 
reserved under section 6(b), the Secretary is authorized to make grants 
to State and local educational agencies to support programs that 
promote innovative approaches to high-quality public school choice.
    (b) Duration.--Grants under this Act shall not exceed three years.

SEC. 4. USES OF FUNDS.

    (a) In General--
            (1) Public school choice.--Funds under this Act may be used 
        to demonstrate, develop, implement, evaluate, and disseminate 
        information on innovative approaches to promote public school 
        choice, including the design and development of new public 
        school choice options, the development of new strategies for 
        overcoming barriers to effective public school choice, and the 
        design and development of public school choice systems that 
        promote high standards for all students and the continuous 
        improvement of all public schools.
            (2) Innovative approaches.--Such approaches at the school, 
        local educational agency, and State levels may include--
                    (A) inter-district approaches to public school 
                choice, including approaches that increase equal access 
                to high-quality educational programs and diversity in 
                schools;
                    (B) public elementary and secondary programs that 
                involve partnerships with institutions of higher 
                education and that are located on the campuses of those 
                institutions;
                    (C) programs that allow students in public 
                secondary schools to enroll in postsecondary courses 
                and to receive both secondary and postsecondary 
                academic credit;
                    (D) worksite satellite schools, in which State or 
                local educational agencies form partnerships with 
                public or private employers, to create public schools 
at parents'' places of employment; and
                    (E) approaches to school desegregation that provide 
                students and parents choice through strategies other 
                than magnet schools.
    (b) Limitations.--Funds under this Act--
            (1) shall supplement, and not supplant, non-Federal funds 
        expended for existing programs;
            (2) may not be used for transportation; and
            (3) may not be used to fund projects that are specifically 
        authorized under part A of title V, or part C of title X, of 
        the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965.

SEC. 5. GRANT APPLICATION; PRIORITIES.

    (a) Application Required.--A State or local educational agency 
desiring to receive a grant under this Act shall submit an application 
to the Secretary.
    (b) Application Contents.--Each application shall include--
            (1) a description of the program for which funds are sought 
        and the goals for such program;
            (2) a description of how the program funded under this Act 
        will be coordinated with, and will complement and enhance, 
        programs under other related Federal and non-Federal projects;
            (3) if the program includes partners, the name of each 
        partner and a description of the partner's responsibilities;
            (4) a description of the policies and procedures the 
        applicant will use to ensure--
                    (A) its accountability for results, including its 
                goals and performance indicators; and
                    (B) that the program is open and accessible to, and 
                will promote high academic standards for, all students; 
                and
            (5) such other information as the Secretary may require.
    (c) Priorities.--
            (1) High-poverty agencies.--The Secretary shall give a 
        priority to applications for projects that would serve high-
        poverty local educational agencies.
            (2) Partnerships.--The Secretary may give a priority to 
        applications demonstrating that the applicant will carry out 
        its project in partnership with one or more public and private 
        agencies, organizations, and institutions, including 
        institutions of higher education and public and private 
        employers.

SEC. 6. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    (a) In General.--For the purpose of carrying out this Act, there 
are authorized to be appropriated $20,000,000 for fiscal year 2000 and 
such sums as may be necessary for each of the 4 succeeding fiscal 
years.
    (b) Reservation for Evaluation, Technical Assistance, and 
Dissemination.--From the amount appropriated under subsection (a) for 
any fiscal year, the Secretary may reserve not more than 5 percent to 
carry out evaluations under subsection (c), to provide technical 
assistance, and to disseminate information.
    (c) Evaluations.--The Secretary may use funds reserved under 
subsection (b) to carry out one or more evaluations of programs 
assisted under this Act, which shall, at a minimum, address--
            (1) how, and the extent to which, the programs supported 
        with funds under this Act promote educational equity and 
        excellence; and
            (2) the extent to which public schools of choice supported 
        with funds under this Act are--
                    (A) held accountable to the public;
                    (B) effective in improving public education; and
                    (C) open and accessible to all students.

SEC. 7. DEFINITIONS.

    For purposes of this Act:
            (1) High-poverty local educational agency.--The term 
        ``high-poverty local educational agency'' means a local 
        educational agency in which--
                    (A) the percentage of children, ages 5 to 17, from 
                families with incomes below the poverty line (as 
                defined by the Office of Management and Budget and 
                revised annually in accordance with section 673(2) of 
                the Community Services Block Grant Act (42 U.S.C. 
                9902(2))) applicable to a family of the size involved 
                for the most recent fiscal year for which satisfactory 
                data are available is 20 percent or greater; or
                    (B) the number of such children exceeds 10,000.
            (2) Other terms.--Other terms used in this Act shall have 
        the meaning given such terms in section 14101 of the Elementary 
        and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 8801).
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