[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 108 (Thursday, August 1, 2002)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7911-S7912]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. ROCKEFELLER:
  S. 2844. A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide 
a tax incentive to individuals teaching in elementary and secondary 
schools located in rural or high unemployment areas and to individuals 
who achieve certification from the National Board for Professional 
Teaching Standards, and for other purposes; to the Committee on 
Finance.
  Mr. ROCKEFELLER. Mr. President, perhaps the most effective way to 
improve the education of America's children is to ensure that they 
begin their education in an uncrowded classroom led by a qualified 
teacher. This body recognized that fact when we overwhelmingly passed 
the ``No Child Left Behind Act'' last year, mandating the hiring of 
qualified teachers by every school in every district.
  Unfortunately, without our help, America's poor and rural schools may 
not be able to attract the qualified teachers this legislation mandates 
and our children deserve. Isolated and impoverished, competing against 
higher paying and well-funded school districts for scarce classroom 
talent, they are already facing a desperate shortage of qualified 
teachers. As pressure to hire increases, that shortage will become a 
crisis, and children already at a disadvantage in relation to their 
more affluent and less isolated peers will be the ones who suffer most.
  Today, I propose a bill that will help bring dedicated and qualified 
teaching professionals to West Virginia's and America's poor and rural 
schools, and help give their students the opportunity to learn and 
flourish that every child deserves. The Incentives To Educate American 
Children Act, or ``I Teach'' Act, will provide teachers a refundable 
tax credit every year they practice their profession in the public 
schools where they are needed most. And it will give every public 
school teacher, whichever school they choose, a refundable tax credit 
for earning certification by the National Board for Professional 
Teaching Standards. Together, these two tax credits will give 
economically depressed areas a better ability to recruit and retain 
skilled teachers.
  One-fourth of America's children attend public schools in rural 
areas, and of the 250 poorest counties in the United States, 244 are 
rural. West Virginia has rural schools scattered through 36 of its 55 
counties, and these schools face real challenges in recruiting and 
retaining teachers, as well as dealing with other issues related to 
their rural location.
  Attracting teachers to these schools is difficult in large part due 
to the vast gap between what rural districts are able to offer and the 
salaries paid by more affluent school districts, as wide as $20,000 a 
year, according to one study. Poor urban schools must overcome similar 
difficulties. It is often a challenge for these schools to attract and 
keep qualified teachers. Yet, according to the 2001 No Child Left 
Behind Act, every school must have

[[Page S7912]]

qualified teachers by the end of the 2005-2006 school year.
  My ``I Teach'' Act will reward teachers willing to work in rural or 
high poverty schools with an annual $1,000 refundable tax credit. If 
the teacher obtains certification by the National Board for 
Professional Teaching Standards, they will receive an additional annual 
$1,000 refundable tax credit.
  Every teacher willing to work in underserved schools will earn a tax 
credit. Every teacher who gets certified will earn a tax credit. 
Teachers who work in rural or poor schools and get certified will earn 
both. Schools who desperately need help attracting teachers will get a 
boost. And children educated in poor and rural schools will benefit 
most.
  In my State of West Virginia, as in over 30 other States, there is 
already a State fiscal incentive for teachers who earn National Board 
certification. My legislation builds upon the West Virginia program; 
together, they add up to a powerful tax incentive for teachers to 
remain in the classroom and to use their skills where they are most 
needed.
  I have spent a great deal of time in West Virginia classrooms this 
year, and it has become obvious to me that our education agenda suffers 
greatly from inadequate funding on a number of fronts. In response, I 
have introduced a series of bills attacking different aspects of the 
problem.
  A qualified teacher is a great start, but children also deserve a 
safe, modern classroom. And so, in addition to the ``I Teach'' Act, I 
have introduced a measure to encourage investment in school 
construction and renovations.
  I am promoting legislation to develop Math and Science Partnerships 
at the National Science Foundation, to place needed emphasis on these 
core subjects.
  And to ensure that every student, including those in rural areas, has 
access to modern technology and the wealth of educational resources on 
the web, I remain vigilant in protecting the E-Rate, which provides 
$2.25 billion in annual discounts to connect our schools and libraries 
to the Internet.
  Education is among our top national priorities, essential for every 
family with a child and vital for our economic and national security. I 
supported the bold goals and higher standards of the 2001 No Child Left 
Behind Act, but they won't be met unless our schools have the teachers 
and resources they need. I am committed to working closely with my 
Senate colleagues this fall to secure as much funding as possible for 
our children's education.
  No amount of construction or technology can replace a qualified and 
motivated teacher, however, and making it easier for underserved 
schools to attract the teachers they need remains one of my most 
important objectives. I hope each of my colleagues will join me in 
supporting this important legislation which takes a great stride toward 
better education for every child in the United States.
                                 ______