Teacher Incentive Fund Act - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to create a Teacher Incentive Fund program of competitive grants to assist states, local educational agencies (LEAs), and nonprofit organizations to develop, implement, or improve, appraisal and performance-based compensation systems to reward teachers and principals who raise student academic achievement and close the achievement gap, especially in the highest-need schools.
Increases required nonfederal contributions to the program, on a graduated basis, from an amount equal 10% of the grant amount received in the first year to 70% of the grant amount received in the grant's fifth and final year. Allows the Secretary of Education to waive such matching requirement for high-need LEAs.
[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3683 Introduced in House (IH)]
111th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 3683
To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to
establish the Teacher Incentive Fund Program, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
September 30, 2009
Mr. Price of Georgia (for himself and Mr. Kline of Minnesota)
introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on
Education and Labor
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to
establish the Teacher Incentive Fund Program, 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 ``Teacher Incentive Fund Act''.
SEC. 2. TEACHER INCENTIVE FUND PROGRAM.
Part C of title II of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of
1965 is amended by adding at the end the following:
``Subpart 6--Teacher Incentive Fund Program
``SEC. 2371. PURPOSES; DEFINITIONS.
``(a) Purposes.--The purposes of this subpart are--
``(1) to assist States, local educational agencies, and
nonprofit organizations to develop, implement, or improve
comprehensive performance-based compensation systems solely for
teachers and principals, especially for teachers and principals
in high-need schools, who raise student academic achievement
and close the achievement gap; and
``(2) to study and review performance-based compensation
systems for teachers and principals to evaluate their
effectiveness, fairness, quality, consistency, and reliability.
``(b) Definitions.--For purposes of this subpart:
``(1) Eligible entity.--The term `eligible entity' means--
``(A) a local educational agency (including a
charter school that is a local educational agency), or
a consortium of such agencies;
``(B) a State educational agency, or other State
agency designated by the chief executive of the State
to participate under this subpart; or
``(C) a partnership of--
``(i) one or more agencies described in
subparagraph (A) or (B), or both; and
``(ii) at least one nonprofit organization.
``(2) High-need local educational agency.--The term `high-
need local educational agency' has the meaning given the term
in section 2102.
``(3) High-need school.--The term `high-need school' has
the meaning given the term in section 2312.
``(4) Performance-based compensation system.--The term
`performance-based compensation system' means a system of
compensation solely for teachers and principals that--
``(A) differentiates levels of compensation
primarily on the basis of measurable increases in
student academic achievement; and
``(B) may include--
``(i) differentiated levels of compensation
on the basis of high-quality teachers' and
principals' employment and success in hard-to-
staff schools or high-need subject areas; and
``(ii) recognition of the skills and
knowledge of teachers and principals as
demonstrated through--
``(I) successful fulfillment of
additional responsibilities or job
functions; and
``(II) evidence of high achievement
and mastery of content knowledge and
superior teaching skills that shall be
gathered through classroom observations
or other criteria developed through
scientifically valid research (as
defined in section 200 of the Higher
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C.
1021)).
``SEC. 2372. TEACHER INCENTIVE FUND GRANTS.
``(a) In General.--From the amounts appropriated to carry out this
subpart, the Secretary is authorized to make grants on a competitive
basis to eligible entities to develop, implement, or improve
performance-based compensation systems in participating schools.
``(b) Priority.--In making such a grant, the Secretary shall give
priority to an eligible entity that concentrates its proposed
activities on teachers and principals serving in high-need schools.
``(c) Applications.--To be eligible to receive a grant under this
subpart, an eligible entity shall submit an application to the
Secretary, at such time and in such manner as the Secretary may
reasonably require, that includes--
``(1) a description of the performance-based compensation
system that the applicant proposes to develop and implement or
improve;
``(2) a description and demonstration of the support and
commitment from teachers and principals in the targeted
schools, the community, and local educational agency or
agencies for the performance-based compensation system,
including demonstration of consultation with teachers and
principals on the development and implementation of the
performance-based compensation system;
``(3) a description of how the eligible entity will develop
and implement a fair, rigorous, and objective process to
evaluate teacher, principal, and student performance, including
the baseline performance against which evaluations of improved
performance will be made;
``(4) a description and demonstration of how teacher and
principal views were included in the development of the
performance-based compensation system;
``(5) a description of the local educational agency or
local educational agencies to be served by the project,
including such demographic information about students in the
schools to be served by the project as the Secretary may
request;
``(6) information on student academic achievement, the
quality of the teachers and principals, and existing
compensation, bonuses, and incentive systems for teachers and
principals in the schools to be served by the project;
``(7) a description of how the applicant will use grant
funds under this subpart in each year of the grant;
``(8) a description of the comprehensive, focused
professional development that is aligned with student content
and achievement standards that the applicant will implement to
support the performance-based compensation system;
``(9) an explanation of how the grantee will continue its
performance-based compensation system after the grant ends;
``(10) a description, if applicable, of how the applicant
will define the term `high-quality' for the purposes of section
2371(b)(4)(B)(i), through the use of measurable indicators;
``(11) a description of the State, local, or philanthropic
funds that will be used to supplement the grant and sustain the
activities at the end of the grant period; and
``(12) A description of how the applicant will evaluate the
project annually, including any objective measures that are
clearly related to the goals for the project and information on
how the evaluation will produce quantitative and qualitative
data.
``(d) Use of Funds.--
``(1) In general.--A grantee shall use grant funds provided
under this subpart only to develop, implement, or improve, in
collaboration with teachers, principals, other school
administrators, and members of the public, a performance-based
compensation system consistent with the requirements of this
subpart.
``(2) Authorized activities.--Authorized activities under
this subpart may include the following:
``(A) Developing appraisal systems that reflect
clear and fair measures of student academic
achievement.
``(B) Developing appraisal systems that reflect
clear and fair measures of teacher and principal
performance based on demonstrated improvements in
student academic achievement.
``(C) Conducting outreach within the local
educational agency (or agencies) or the State to gain
input on how to construct the appraisal system and to
develop support for it.
``(D) Paying, as part of a comprehensive
performance-based compensation system, bonuses and
increased salaries to teachers and principals who raise
student academic achievement, so long as the grantee
uses an increasing share of non-Federal funds to pay
these monetary rewards each year of the grant.
``(E) Paying, as part of a comprehensive
performance-based compensation system, additional
bonuses to teachers who both raise student academic
achievement and either teach in high-need schools or
teach subjects that are difficult to staff, or both, so
long as the grantee uses an increasing share of non-
Federal funds to pay these monetary rewards each year
of the grant.
``(F) Paying, as part of a comprehensive
performance-based compensation system, additional
bonuses to principals who both raise student academic
achievement and serve in high-need schools, so long as
the grantee uses an increasing share of non-Federal
funds to pay these monetary rewards each year of the
grant.
``(e) Duration of Grants.--
``(1) In general.--The Secretary may make grants under this
section for periods of up to 5 years.
``(2) Limitation.--An agency described in subparagraph (A)
of section 2371(b)(1) may receive (whether individually or as
part of a consortium or partnership) a grant under this subpart
only once. Such an agency may continue to receive that grant
for the period of that grant, but shall not receive (whether
individually or as part of a consortium or partnership) any
other grant under this subpart.
``(f) Equitable Distribution.--To the extent practicable, the
Secretary shall ensure an equitable geographic distribution of grants
under this section.
``(g) Matching Requirement.--
``(1) Each eligible entity that receives a grant under this
section shall provide, from non-Federal sources, an amount
(which may be provided in cash or in kind) to carry out the
activities supported by the grant equal to--
``(A) for the first year of the grant, 10 percent
of the amount received for that year under the grant;
``(B) for the second year, 25 percent;
``(C) for the third year, 40 percent;
``(D) for the fourth year, 55 percent; and
``(E) for the fifth year, 70 percent.
``(2) The Secretary may waive all or part of the matching
requirement described in paragraph (1) for any fiscal year for
an eligible entity described in section 2371(b)(1)(A) if that
eligible entity is a high-need local educational agency, a
consortium of high-need local educational agencies, or a
charter school that is a high-need local educational agency and
the Secretary determines that applying the matching requirement
to such eligible entity would result in serious hardship or an
inability to carry out the activities described in subsection
(d).
``(h) Supplement, Not Supplant.--Grant funds provided under this
section shall be used to supplement, not supplant, other Federal or
State funds.
``(i) Rule of Construction.--Nothing in this subpart shall be
implemented in such a way so as to require a collective bargaining
agreement be in place in order to receive funds or participate under
this subpart.
``SEC. 2373. REPORT AND EVALUATION.
``(a) Report.--The Secretary shall provide an annual report on the
implementation of the program to the Congress.
``(b) Evaluation.--
``(1) In general.--The Secretary shall, through grant or
contract, carry out an independent evaluation of the program
under this subpart.
``(2) Content.--The evaluation shall measure--
``(A) the effectiveness of the program in improving
student academic achievement;
``(B) the satisfaction of the participating
teachers or principals; and
``(C) the extent to which the program assisted the
eligible entities in recruiting and retaining high-
quality teachers and principals, especially in hard-to-
staff subject areas.
``SEC. 2374. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
``(a) In General.--There are authorized to be appropriated to carry
out this subpart such sums as may be necessary for fiscal year 2010 and
each of the succeeding 5 fiscal years.
``(b) Reservation.--The Secretary may reserve not more than 3
percent of the funds appropriated to carry out this subpart for any one
fiscal year for the cost of the evaluation under section 2373(b) and
for technical assistance and program outreach.''.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Education and Labor.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education.
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