[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2276 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







106th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 2276

    To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to 
 establish programs to recruit, retain, and retrain teachers, and for 
                            other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 22, 2000

   Mr. Frist introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
  referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to 
 establish programs to recruit, retain, and retrain teachers, and for 
                            other purposes.

    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 ``A Million Quality Teachers Act''.

SEC. 2. RECRUITMENT, RETENTION, AND RETRAINING OF TEACHERS.

    Title II of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 
U.S.C. 6601 et seq.) is amended--
            (1) by redesignating part E as part F;
            (2) by redesignating sections 2401 and 2402 as sections 
        2501 and 2502, respectively; and
            (3) by inserting before part F the following:

    ``PART E--QUALITY TEACHER RECRUITMENT, RETENTION, AND RETRAINING

``SEC. 2401. STATE RECRUITMENT, RETENTION, AND RETRAINING GRANTS.

    ``(a) Purpose.--The purpose of this section is to provide 
assistance to States to develop statewide quality teacher recruitment, 
retention, and retraining programs.
    ``(b) Grants.--The Secretary may award grants, on a competitive 
basis, to eligible States submitting applications under subsection (d) 
to carry out the activities described in subsection (e).
    ``(c) Eligible State.--
            ``(1) Definition.--In this section, the term `eligible 
        State' means--
                    ``(A) the Governor of a State; or
                    ``(B) in the case of a State for which the 
                constitution or law of such State designates another 
                individual, entity, or agency in the State to be 
                responsible for teacher certification and preparation 
                activity, such individual, entity, or agency.
            ``(2) Consultation.--The Governor, or the individual, 
        entity, or agency designated as described in paragraph (1), as 
        appropriate, shall consult with the Governor, State board of 
        education, State educational agency, or State agency for higher 
        education, as appropriate, with respect to the activities 
        assisted under this section.
            ``(3) Construction.--Nothing in this subsection shall be 
        construed to negate or supersede the legal authority under 
        State law of any State agency, State entity, or State public 
        official over programs that are under the jurisdiction of the 
        agency, entity, or official.
    ``(d) Application.--An eligible State that seeks to receive a grant 
under this section shall submit an application to the Secretary, at 
such time and in such manner as the Secretary may require, that--
            ``(1) meets the requirements of this section;
            ``(2) includes a description of how the eligible State 
        intends to use funds provided under this section, including--
                    ``(A) if the State intends to carry out activities 
                described in subsection (e)(2)--
                            ``(i) a description of how the State 
                        intends to increase teacher quality through the 
                        activities; and
                            ``(ii) a description of how the State 
                        intends to increase, through the activities, 
                        the number of teachers who majored in the 
                        academic subjects in which the teachers teach, 
                        and the number of teachers who received 
                        certification through alternative routes; and
                    ``(B) if the State intends to carry out activities 
                described in subsection (e)(3)--
                            ``(i) a description of how the State 
                        intends to increase teacher quality through the 
                        activities; and
                            ``(ii) a description of how the State 
                        intends to decrease the rate of teacher 
                        attrition, and to increase the number of 
                        teachers who have the necessary teaching skills 
                        and academic subject knowledge in the academic 
                        subjects in which the teachers teach, through 
                        the activities; and
            ``(3) contains such other information and assurances as the 
        Secretary may require.
    ``(e) Use of Funds.--
            ``(1) In general.--An eligible State that receives a grant 
        under this section shall use the grant funds--
                    ``(A) to recruit high-quality teachers by carrying 
                out 1 or more of the activities described in paragraph 
                (2); or
                    ``(B) to retain and retrain high-quality teachers 
                by carrying out 1 or more of the activities described 
                in paragraph (3).
            ``(2) Recruitment activities.--The activities referred to 
        in paragraph (1)(A) consist of--
                    ``(A) providing signing bonuses for teachers;
                    ``(B) providing stipends to teachers for 
                certification through alternative routes;
                    ``(C) providing loan forgiveness to students with 
                academic degrees in core academic subjects who agree to 
                teach;
                    ``(D) providing State income tax credits for new 
                teachers; and
                    ``(E) carrying out any other program that the State 
                believes to be effective in recruiting individuals with 
                strong academic backgrounds into the teaching field.
            ``(3) Retention and retraining activities.--The activities 
        referred to in paragraph (1)(B) consist of--
                    ``(A) carrying out teacher testing and merit pay 
                programs;
                    ``(B) providing performance bonuses to teachers;
                    ``(C) providing scholarships for teachers to pursue 
                advanced course work in the academic subjects in which 
                the teachers teach;
                    ``(D) providing mentoring programs for teachers; 
                and
                    ``(E) carrying out any other program that the State 
                believes to be effective in retaining and retraining 
                quality teachers.
            ``(4) Supplement not supplant.--Funds appropriated pursuant 
        to the authority of this section shall be used to supplement 
        and not supplant other Federal, State, and local public funds 
        expended to provide services for eligible individuals.
    ``(f) Duration of Grants.--The Secretary may make grants under this 
section for periods of 3 years.
    ``(g) Reporting.--
            ``(1) In general.--An eligible State that receives a grant 
        under this section shall prepare and submit to the Secretary, 
        at the end of the grant period, a report on how the activities 
        carried out with funds made available through the grant 
        increased teacher quality in the State.
            ``(2) Contents.--The report shall include--
                    ``(A) in the case of activities conducted under 
                subsection (e)(2), information indicating the impact of 
                the activities, including the number of additional 
                teachers with a major in the academic subject in which 
                the teachers teach, and the number of additional 
                teachers who received certification through alternative 
                routes, as a result of the activities;
                    ``(B) in the case of activities conducted under 
                subsection (e)(3), information indicating the impact of 
                the activities, including the decrease in the rate of 
                teacher attrition, and the increase in the number of 
                teachers who have the necessary teaching skills and 
                academic subject knowledge in the academic subjects in 
                which the teachers teach, as a result of the 
                activities; and
                    ``(C) any other information that indicates how 
                teacher quality has improved in the State as a result 
                of activities carried out with funds made available 
                through the grant.
    ``(h) Authorization.--There are authorized to be appropriated to 
carry out this section $1,155,000,000 for fiscal year 2001 and such 
sums as may be necessary for each of the 4 succeeding fiscal years.
    ``(i) Definition.--In this section, the term `high-quality', used 
with respect to a teacher, means--
                    ``(A) with respect to an elementary school teacher, 
                a teacher--
                            ``(i) with an academic major in the arts 
                        and sciences; or
                            ``(ii) who can demonstrate competence 
                        through a high level of performance in core 
                        academic subjects; and
                    ``(B) with respect to a secondary school teacher, a 
                teacher--
                            ``(i) with an academic major in the 
                        academic subject in which the teacher teaches 
                        or in a related field;
                            ``(ii) who can demonstrate a high level of 
                        competence through rigorous academic subject 
                        tests; or
                            ``(iii) who can demonstrate competence 
                        through a high level of performance in relevant 
                        content areas.

``SEC. 2402. LOAN FORGIVENESS FOR STUDENTS.

    ``(a) Purpose.--The purpose of this section is to encourage 
individuals who have majored in, or obtained graduate degrees in, core 
academic subjects, as opposed to education, to enter the teaching 
profession by providing an incentive, through loan forgiveness, for the 
individuals to enter the profession.
    ``(b) Program Authorized.--The Secretary shall carry out a program, 
through the holder of a federally subsidized or federally guaranteed 
loan made to enable an individual to attend an institution of higher 
education, of--
            ``(1) permitting an eligible borrower to defer payments on 
        the loan; or
            ``(2) assuming the obligation to repay part or all of a 
        qualified loan amount for the loan for the eligible borrower.
    ``(c) Eligibility.--
            ``(1) Definition.--In this subsection, the term `core 
        academic subject' means--
                    ``(A) mathematics;
                    ``(B) science;
                    ``(C) English;
                    ``(D) a foreign language;
                    ``(E) civics or government;
                    ``(F) a subject in the arts;
                    ``(G) geography;
                    ``(H) history; or
                    ``(I) economics.
            ``(2) Eligible borrower.--To be eligible to receive 
        assistance under this section, a borrower shall demonstrate--
                    ``(A) that the borrower--
                            ``(i) obtained an undergraduate degree with 
                        a major in a core academic subject at an 
                        institution of higher education; or
                            ``(ii) obtained a graduate degree in a core 
                        academic subject at an institution of higher 
                        education;
                    ``(B) that the borrower achieved at least a 3.0 
                grade point average in the major or the graduate 
                program for which the borrower obtained the degree;
                    ``(C)(i) in the case of a borrower seeking 
                assistance described in subsection (d)(1)--
                            ``(I) that the borrower is seeking or has 
                        obtained employment as a teacher in a public 
elementary school or secondary school; and
                            ``(II) for each year after the first year 
                        that the borrower receives the assistance, that 
                        the borrower has maintained such employment; or
                    ``(ii) in the case of a borrower seeking assistance 
                described in subsection (d)(2), that the borrower is 
                enrolled in an alternative certification program, as 
                defined in subsection (d)(2); and
                    ``(D) that the borrower has not previously served 
                as a full-time teacher in a public elementary school or 
                secondary school, prior to receiving assistance under 
                this section.
    ``(d) Deferral and Repayment.--
            ``(1) Deferral and repayment for teaching in a public 
        school.--
                    ``(A) Deferral.--In the case of an eligible 
                borrower who has provided notification to the Secretary 
                that the borrower is seeking or has obtained employment 
                as a teacher in a public school or secondary school, 
                the Secretary shall permit the eligible borrower to 
                defer all payments relating to the outstanding loan 
                obligation on the loan described in subsection (b) 
                until the earlier of--
                            ``(i) the last day on which the borrower 
                        maintains employment as such a teacher; or
                            ``(ii) 8 years after the date on which the 
                        borrower begins such employment.
                    ``(B) Repayment.--
                            ``(i) In general.--In the case of an 
                        eligible borrower who has provided such 
                        notification, the Secretary shall repay a 
                        portion of the outstanding loan obligation on 
                        the loan for each 2-year period during which 
                        the eligible borrower teaches in a public 
                        elementary school or secondary school.
                            ``(ii) Repayment periods.--The Secretary 
                        shall repay--
                                    ``(I) 35 percent of the outstanding 
                                loan obligation, for an eligible 
                                borrower who has taught at a public 
                                elementary school or secondary school 
                                for 2 years;
                                    ``(II) an additional 30 percent of 
                                the obligation, for an eligible 
                                borrower who has taught at such a 
                                school for 4 years;
                                    ``(III) an additional 20 percent of 
                                the obligation, for a teacher who has 
                                taught in such a school for 6 years; 
                                and
                                    ``(IV) the remaining 15 percent of 
                                the obligation, for a teacher who has 
                                taught in such a school for 8 years.
                    ``(C) Failure to maintain employment.--If the 
                borrower seeks assistance under this paragraph for a 2-
                year period and fails to maintain employment as a 
                teacher in a public elementary school or secondary 
                school for that period, the deferral period, for 
                purposes of subparagraph (A), shall be considered to 
                end on the last date of the employment, and the 
                borrower shall be required to repay (or resume 
                repaying) the remaining loan obligation on the loan. 
                The borrower shall not be required to repay any amount 
                that was paid on behalf of the borrower under this 
                paragraph for an earlier 2-year period, or to pay 
                interest on the loan for any period during which the 
                borrower was so employed.
            ``(2) Deferral for participation in an alternative 
        certification program.--
                    ``(A) Definition.--In this paragraph, the term 
                `alternative certification program' means a program to 
                obtain teacher certification through an alternative 
                route.
                    ``(B) Deferral.--In the case of an eligible 
                borrower who has provided notification to the Secretary 
                that the borrower has enrolled in an alternative 
                certification program, the Secretary shall permit the 
                eligible borrower to defer all payments relating to the 
                outstanding loan obligation of a loan described in 
                subsection (b) until--
                            ``(i) if the borrower fails to complete the 
                        program, the last day on which the borrower 
                        maintains participation in the program; or
                            ``(ii) if the borrower completes the 
                        program, 6 months after the date on which the 
                        borrower completes the program.
                    ``(C) Failure to maintain participation.--If the 
                borrower seeks assistance under this paragraph and 
                fails to complete the alternative certification 
                program, the deferral period, for purposes of 
                subparagraph (B), shall be considered to end on the 
                last date of the borrower's participation in the 
                program. The borrower shall not be required to pay 
                interest on the loan for any period during which the 
                borrower participated in the program.
            ``(3) Amount.--The Secretary shall not establish a limit on 
        the amount of a loan that may be repaid under this section.
    ``(e) Application.--To be eligible to receive assistance under this 
section, a borrower shall submit an application to the Secretary at 
such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the 
Secretary may require.

``SEC. 2403. ALTERNATIVE CERTIFICATION STIPENDS.

    ``(a) Purpose.--The purpose of this section is to encourage 
individuals described in section 2402(c)(2) to enter the teaching 
profession, by paying for the costs incurred by an eligible student in 
obtaining certification through an alternative route for employment as 
an elementary school or secondary school teacher.
    ``(b) Payments.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretary may make payments to 
        eligible students to pay for the costs incurred by the students 
        in obtaining the certification.
            ``(2) Amount.--The Secretary shall make a payment to a 
        student under paragraph (1) in an amount equal to the lesser 
        of--
                    ``(A) $5,000; or
                    ``(B) the total costs of the type described in 
                paragraphs (1), (2), (3), (8), and (9) of section 472 
                of the Higher Education Act of 1965 incurred by the 
                student while obtaining the certification.
    ``(c) Eligible Student.--To be eligible to receive a payment under 
this section a student shall be an individual who--
            ``(1)(A) obtained an undergraduate degree with a major in a 
        core academic subject at an institution of higher education; or
            ``(B) obtained a graduate degree in a core academic subject 
        at an institution of higher education;
            ``(2) achieved at least a 3.0 grade point average in the 
        major or the graduate program for which the individual obtained 
        the degree; and
            ``(3) has not previously served as a full-time teacher in a 
        public elementary school or secondary school, prior to 
        receiving assistance under this section.
    ``(d) Applications.--To be eligible to receive a payment under this 
section, a student shall submit an application to the Secretary at such 
time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary 
may require, including--
            ``(1) documentation of the costs described in subsection 
        (b)(2)(B); and
            ``(2) an assurance that the student will teach in an 
        elementary school or secondary school for 2 years, beginning in 
        the first full school year after the date on which the student 
        obtains the certification.
    ``(e) Award Basis; Priority.--
            ``(1) Award basis.--Subject to paragraph (2), payments made 
        under this section shall be made on a first-come, first-served 
        basis and subject to the availability of appropriations.
            ``(2) Priority.--In making payments under this section, the 
        Secretary shall give priority to individuals who have received 
        assistance under section 2402.
    ``(f) Reimbursement Under Certain Circumstances.--
            ``(1) In general.--If an eligible individual who receives 
        assistance under this section fails to obtain teacher 
        certification or employment as an elementary school or 
        secondary school teacher or voluntarily leaves, or is 
        terminated for cause, from the employment during the 2 years of 
        required service, the eligible individual shall be required to 
        reimburse the State for any payment made to the eligible 
        individual under subsection (b)(1) in an amount that bears the 
        same ratio to the amount of the payment as the unserved portion 
        of the required service bears to the 2 years of required 
        service.
            ``(2)  Transfer of funds to Secretary.-- A State shall 
        transfer any reimbursement funds received under this subsection 
        to the Secretary. The Secretary shall establish an account for 
        reimbursement funds transferred to the Secretary under this 
        subsection. The Secretary shall deposit the funds in the 
        account, and may use funds in the account to carry out this 
        section.
            ``(3) Obligation to reimburse.--The obligation to reimburse 
        the State under this subsection is, for all purposes, a debt 
        owing the United States. A discharge in bankruptcy under title 
        11, United States Code, shall not release an eligible 
        individual from the obligation to reimburse the State. Any 
        amount owed by an eligible individual under paragraph (1) shall 
        bear interest at the rate equal to the highest rate being paid 
        by the United States, on the day on which the reimbursement is 
        determined to be due, for securities having maturities of 90 
        days or less and shall accrue from the day on which the 
        eligible individual is first notified of the amount due.
    ``(g) Exceptions to Reimbursement Provisions.--
            ``(1) In general.--An eligible individual who receives 
        assistance under this section shall be excused from 
        reimbursement under subsection (f) during any period in which 
        the individual--
                    ``(A) is pursuing a full-time course of study 
                related to the field of teaching at an eligible 
                institution;
                    ``(B) is serving on active duty as a member of the 
                Armed Forces;
                    ``(C) is temporarily totally disabled for a period 
                of time of not more than 3 years as established by the 
                sworn affidavit of a qualified physician;
                    ``(D) is unable to secure employment for a period 
                of not more than 12 months by reason of the care 
                required by a spouse who is disabled;
                    ``(E) is seeking and unable to find full-time 
                employment as a teacher in an elementary school or 
                secondary school for a single period of not more than 
                27 months; or
                    ``(F) satisfies the provisions of additional 
                reimbursement exceptions that may be prescribed by the 
                Secretary.
            ``(2) Forgiveness.--An eligible individual shall be excused 
        from reimbursement under subsection (f) if the eligible 
        individual becomes permanently totally disabled, as established 
        by the sworn affidavit of a qualified physician. The Secretary 
        may also waive reimbursement in cases of extreme hardship to 
        the individual, as determined by the Secretary.
    ``(h) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section $125,000,000 for fiscal year 
2001 and such sums as may be necessary for each of the 4 succeeding 
fiscal years.

``SEC. 2404. NOTIFICATION, PUBLIC AWARENESS, AND ADVERTISING 
              ACTIVITIES.

    ``(a) Notification and Public Awareness.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretary shall notify all 
        institutions of higher education concerning both the loan 
        forgiveness program described in section 2402 and the 
        alternative certification stipend program described in section 
        2403. Each institution of higher education that accepts Federal 
        funds shall notify all students who receive Federal aid to 
        attend an institution of higher education of the opportunities 
        afforded by the programs.
            ``(2) Contracts.--The Secretary may enter into contracts 
        with appropriate public agencies, nonprofit private 
        organizations, for-profit organizations, and institutions of 
        higher education to conduct an information program designed--
                    ``(A) to broaden awareness of the opportunities 
                afforded under the programs described in paragraph (1); 
                and
                    ``(B) to encourage eligible students to take 
                advantage of the programs.
    ``(b) Advertising Activities.--The Secretary may disseminate 
information about the loan forgiveness program described in section 
2402 and the alternative certification stipend program described in 
section 2403 through television advertisements, the publication of 
brochures, advertisements in college newspapers or other newspapers, or 
any other means that the Secretary determines to be effective to 
broaden awareness of the program.
    ``(c) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section, $20,000,000 for fiscal year 
2001 and such sums as may be necessary for each of the 2 succeeding 
fiscal years.''.
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