[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 44 (Wednesday, March 14, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3126-S3127]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. ROCKEFELLER:
  S. 873. 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 employment areas and to 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, one of the key components to success 
in our classrooms is a qualified teacher. One of the provisions of the 
No Child Left Behind Act mandates the hiring of qualified teachers by 
every school in every district.
  But what are the incentives to keep qualified teachers in the 
classroom? I believe we need more targeted incentives to reward 
teachers willing to stay in the classroom, especially in rural schools 
and high poverty schools.
  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, struggling and competing against 
higher paying well-funded school districts for scarce classroom talent, 
such school faces a shortage of qualified teachers. As pressure to hire 
qualified teachers increases, this 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. Disadvantaged 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.
  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 a 
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 disadvantaged schools and get certified 
will earn both. Schools that 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. There are over 55,000 teachers with a national board 
certificate, and 290 are West Virginia teachers. West Virginia offers 
our national board teachers a $2500 bonus. 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,

[[Page S3127]]

and it has become obvious to me that our education agenda suffers 
greatly from inadequate funding on a number of fronts. That is why I 
Teach is part of my education agenda. I also want to promote school 
construction bonds to improve our schools and renovate aging 
classrooms. For a decade, I have fought for the E-Rate program to 
provide $2.25 billion in discounts to connect our schools and libraries 
to modern technology.
  Education must 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 our schools have 
the teachers and resources they need. I am committed to working closely 
with my Senate colleagues this year to secure as much funding as 
possible for our children's education.
  As important as school construction and technology are in the 
classroom, neither can replace a qualified and motivated teacher; 
therefore 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 providing better 
education for every child in the United States.
                                 ______