[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 58 (Thursday, April 10, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Page S5182]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. ROCKEFELLER (for himself, Mr. DeWine, Ms. Landrieu, and 
        Mr. Cochran):
  S. 857. 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, today I am introducing two key 
education initiatives designed to promote quality education across our 
country and respond to the compelling needs in our schools. When I meet 
with teachers and parents, and even business leaders in West Virginia, 
everyone is concerned about the condition of our school buildings and 
the importance of qualified committed teachers working in those 
classrooms.
  To address these clear and compelling needs, I am introducing two 
education bills. The first initiative, America's Better Classroom Act 
of 2003, is a school construction initiative to respond to the 
overwhelming needs for school construction. The Department of Education 
reports that the average public school building is 42 years old. In 
1995, GAO estimated that we needed $112 billion for school construction 
and renovations. A more recent survey in 2001 in the Journal of 
Education Finance indicates that the need is increasing, and the unmet 
need for school infrastructure over the next decade is over $200 
billion. My State of West Virginia will need as much as $2 billion for 
school construction and renovations.
  America's Better Classroom Act provides the financial tools to help 
build and renovate our schools. It will continue the Qualified Zone 
Academy Bonding, QZAB, Program that has helped economically 
disadvantaged communities. This provision would provide $2.8 billion to 
continue and expand the successful QZAB Program. In recent years, this 
program has provided $4.2 million for support school construction and 
renovations in disadvantaged communities. Effective programs have 
earned continued support.
  But the truth is that many schools districts need help with school 
construction and renovations, which is why the America's Better 
Classroom Act creates a $22 billion Qualified School Bonding Program. 
Funding will be allocated to the states based on the Title 1 formula so 
it is targeted, but the states will have flexibility in allocating 
support among school districts.
  Last summer, I toured two schools in Berkeley County, WV--Martinsburg 
High School and South Middle School. The high school was built in 1928, 
but it had been renovated. The middle school was built in 1954, and 
needed serious work. The cafeteria had to serve as a part-time 
classroom, and they used portable trailers. These schools are in our 
eastern panhandle which is the region of the greatest population 
growth, so Berkeley County predicts that it will need to build or 
renovate nine schools over the next 10 years. Given the current state 
fiscal crisis, states and communities need the America's Better 
Classroom Act so that we can make needed investments. Also school 
construction can play a positive role in helping to stimulate our 
economy and create needed jobs. School construction is a more reliable 
economic stimulus, and an important investment in our children's 
education. I am proud to have Senators Tom Harkin, Tom Daschle, and Tim 
Johnson as cosponsors of this important initiative. Senator Harkin has 
been a true leader on education issues throughout this career, 
including school construction and renovations.
  The next initiative to improve education is a bipartisan bill, known 
as Incentives to Educate American Children Act, or I TEACH. I am proud 
to have Senators DeWine, Landrieu, and Cochran as cosponsors.
  Under No Child Left Behind, every classroom should have a qualified 
teacher. Studies suggest that an estimated 2 million new teachers will 
be needed in our classrooms over the next decade. It will be important 
to ensure that we recruit and retain good teachers in every classroom, 
including our most disadvantaged schools and our rural schools, which 
often have more trouble recruiting and keeping teachers.
  Unfortunately, without our help, America's disadvantaged and rural 
schools may not be able to attract the qualified teachers required by 
the No Child Left Behind Act. 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 could 
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. Principals in West Virginia already are reporting shortages of 
trained teachers.
  To help bring dedicated and qualified teaching professionals into our 
schools, the I TEACH Act will provide teachers a $1000 refundable tax 
credit every year they practice their profession in the public schools 
where they are needed most. In addition to this incentive for 
disadvantage and rural schools, every public school teacher has the 
ability to earn a $1000 refundable tax credit if a teacher achieves the 
National Board for Professional Teaching Standards certification. Under 
the bill, every teacher willing to work in underserved schools will 
earn a tax credit. Every teacher who gets Board certification will earn 
a tax credit. Teachers who work in rural or poor schools and get 
certified will have both credits, worth $2000. Schools who desperately 
need help attracting teachers will get a boost. And children educated 
in poor and rural schools will benefit most.
  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 throughout 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 qualified 
teachers by the end of the 2005-2006 school year.
  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.
  Education should be 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 we invest in 
quality schools and good teachers. I am committed to working closely 
with my Senate colleagues this fall to secure as much funding as 
possible for our children's education.
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