Space to Schools Act of 2010 - Authorizes the Secretary of Education to implement a program to encourage individuals who are former employees of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), its suppliers, or related contractors who have relevant work experience in the aerospace industry to pursue careers as elementary, secondary, or vocational school teachers.
Sets forth educational background requirements for program participants.
Requires program participants to enter into an agreement to: (1) obtain certification or licensing as an elementary, secondary, vocational, or technical school teacher, and to become a highly qualified teacher; and (2) accept an offer of full-time employment as an elementary, secondary, vocational, or technical school teacher for at least three school years and commit to teaching science, technology, engineering, or mathematics after obtaining such certification or licensing.
Directs the Secretary to provide program participants with: (1) a stipend for use in obtaining certification or licensing; or (2) a larger bonus if they agree to perform their service in high-need schools.
Requires the Secretary to establish an Advisory Board to oversee the program.
[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5093 Introduced in House (IH)]
111th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 5093
To authorize the Secretary of Education to establish a program for
displaced aerospace professionals to become certified elementary,
secondary, or vocational school teachers.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
April 21, 2010
Ms. Kosmas (for herself, Ms. Corrine Brown of Florida, Mr. Klein of
Florida, Ms. Castor of Florida, Ms. Fudge, Ms. Richardson, Mr. Wilson
of Ohio, Mr. Rothman of New Jersey, Ms. Jackson Lee of Texas, Mr.
Hastings of Florida, and Ms. Giffords) introduced the following bill;
which was referred to the Committee on Education and Labor
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To authorize the Secretary of Education to establish a program for
displaced aerospace professionals to become certified elementary,
secondary, or vocational school teachers.
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 ``Space to Schools Act of 2010''.
SEC. 2. PROGRAM.
(a) Purpose.--The Secretary of Education may carry out a program
(in this Act referred to as the ``Program'') to--
(1) encourage highly skilled retiring or displaced
aerospace professionals with backgrounds in science,
technology, engineering, or mathematics to pursue careers as
elementary, secondary, or vocational school teachers; and
(2) promote science, technology, engineering, and
mathematics (STEM) education in kindergarten through grade 12
by encouraging aerospace professionals to pursue careers in
teaching.
(b) Eligibility.--
(1) Eligible individuals.--An individual who is eligible to
participate in the Program is an individual--
(A) who is a former employee of the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration, its suppliers, or
a related contractor; and
(B) who has relevant work experience in the
aerospace industry.
(2) School eligibility.--An eligible local education
agency, charter school, or vocational school may receive
Program participants.
(c) Submission of Applications.--
(1) Form and submission.--Selection of eligible individuals
to participate in the Program shall be made on the basis of
applications submitted to the Secretary of Education within the
time periods specified in paragraph (2). An application shall
be in such form and contain such information as the Secretary
may require.
(2) Time for submission.--An application shall be
considered to be submitted on a timely basis if it submitted
not later than 4 years after the date on which the individual
is retired, separated, or released from employment in the
aerospace industry.
(d) Selection Criteria.--
(1) Establishment.--Subject to paragraphs (2) and (3), the
Secretary shall prescribe the criteria to be used to select
eligible individuals to participate in the Program.
(2) Educational background.--
(A) Elementary or secondary school teacher.--If an
applicant is applying for assistance for placement as
an elementary or secondary school teacher, the
Secretary shall require the applicant to have received
a baccalaureate or advanced degree from an accredited
institution of higher education in a science,
technology, engineering, or mathematics field.
(B) Vocational or technical teacher.--If an
applicant for assistance for placement as vocational or
technical teacher, the Secretary shall require the
applicant to have--
(i) received an associate degree,
postsecondary training, or related
certification obtained through service in the
Armed Forces;
(ii) have 6 or more years of work
experience in a vocational or technical field;
or
(iii) otherwise meet the certification or
licensing requirements for a vocational or
technical teacher in the State in which the
applicant seeks assistance for placement under
the Program.
(3) Termination of employment.--An applicant who was
terminated from previous employment for cause shall be
ineligible to participate in the Program.
(e) Participation Agreement.--
(1) In general.--An eligible individual selected to
participate in the Program and receive financial assistance
under this section shall be required to enter into an agreement
with the Secretary in which the participant agrees--
(A) within such time as the Secretary may require,
to obtain certification or licensing as an elementary,
secondary, vocational, or technical school teacher, and
to become a highly qualified teacher; and
(B) to accept an offer of full-time employment as
an elementary, secondary, vocational, or technical
school teacher for not less than 3 school years and
commit to teaching in the subjects of science,
technology, engineering, or mathematics with an
eligible local educational agency, charter school, or
vocational school to begin the school year after
obtaining such certification or licensing.
(2) Waiver.--The Secretary may waive the 3-year commitment
described in paragraph (1)(B) for a participant if the
Secretary determined such waiver to be appropriate.
(3) Stipends for participants.--
(A) Stipend authorized.--The Secretary may pay to a
participant in the Program a stipend in an amount of
not more than $5,000 to be used towards obtaining
licensing or certification for elementary or secondary
teaching or vocational teaching programs.
(B) Stipend bonus.--The Secretary, in lieu of
paying a stipend under subparagraph (A), may pay a
bonus of $10,000 to a participant in the Program who
agrees in the participation agreement to become a
highly qualified teacher and accept full-time
employment as an elementary, secondary, vocational, or
technical teacher for not less than 3 years in a high-
need school and teach in the subject area of science,
technology, engineering, or mathematics.
(f) Reimbursement Under Certain Circumstances.--
(1) Reimbursement required.--A participant in the Program
who is paid a stipend or bonus under this section shall be
required to repay the stipend or bonus under the following
circumstances:
(A) Failure to obtain qualifications or
employment.--The participant fails to obtain teacher
certification or licensing, to become a highly
qualified teacher, or to obtain employment as an
elementary school teacher, secondary school teacher, or
vocational or technical teacher as required by the
participation agreement under subsection (e).
(B) Termination of employment.--The participant
voluntarily leaves, or is terminated for cause from,
employment as an elementary school teacher, secondary
school teacher, or vocational or technical teacher
during the 3 years of required service in violation of
the participation agreement.
(2) Amount of reimbursement.--A participant required to
reimburse the Secretary for a stipend or bonus paid to the
participant under this section shall pay an amount that bears
the same ratio to the amount of the stipend or bonus as the
unserved portion of required service bears to the 3 years of
required service. Any amount owed by the participant 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
participant is first notified of the amount due.
(3) Treatment of obligation.--The obligation to reimburse
the Secretary 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 a participant
from the obligation to reimburse the Secretary under this
subsection.
(g) Advisory Board.--
(1) No later than 120 days after enactment of this Act, the
Secretary shall establish an Advisory Board whose duties
include--
(A) collecting, considering, and disseminating
feedback from participants, State educational agencies,
local educational agencies, charter schools, and
vocational schools on best practices for recruitment of
eligible individuals to participate in the Program;
(B) ensuring elementary schools, secondary schools,
and vocational schools are aware of the Program and how
to participate in it;
(C) developing guidelines to help individuals
selected to participate in the Program identify and
enroll in licensing or certification training for
elementary or secondary education teaching or
vocational teaching programs; and
(D) coordinating the goals of the Program with
other Federal, State, and local education needs.
(2) No later than 1 year after the date of enactment of
this Act, and annually thereafter, prepare and submit a report
to the Committee on Education and Labor of the House of
Representatives and the Committee on Health, Education, Labor,
and Pensions of the Senate, which shall include--
(A) information with respect to the activities of
the Advisory Board;
(B) information with respect to the Program,
including--
(i) the number of participants in the
Program;
(ii) the number of States participating in
the Program;
(iii) the local educational agencies and
schools where participants are employed;
(iv) the grade levels at which the
participants teach;
(v) the academic subjects taught by
participants;
(vi) the hours of clinical and classroom
time participants completed during the
certification or licensing required for
participation in the Program;
(vii) a review of the stipend and bonus
available to participants; and
(viii) other demographic information as may
be necessary to evaluate the effectiveness of
the Program; and
(C) recommendations for improvements and other
necessary changes to ensure that the Program is meeting
the purpose as described in subsection (a).
(h) Definitions.--In this Act:
(1) In general.--The terms ``elementary school'', ``highly
qualified''; ``local educational agency'', ``secondary
school'', ``State educational agency'', and ``State'' have the
meaning given the terms in section 9101 of the Elementary and
Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801).
(2) Charter school.--The term ``charter school'' has the
meaning given such term in section 5210 of the Elementary and
Secondary Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7221i).
(3) Eligible local educational agency.--The term ``eligible
local educational agency'' means a local educational agency
receiving funding under part A of title I of the Elementary and
Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6311 et seq.).
(4) High-need school.--The term ``high-need school'' means
an elementary school, secondary school, or vocational school
under the jurisdiction of an eligible local educational agency,
or a charter school, or vocational school, where at least 50
percent of the students enrolled in the school are--
(A) in poverty counted in the most recent census
data approved by the Secretary;
(B) eligible for free and reduced priced lunches
under the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act
(42 U.S.C. 1751 et seq.);
(C) in families receiving assistance under the
State program funded under part A of title IV of the
Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 601 et seq.); or
(D) eligible to receive medical assistance under
the State Medicaid program under title XIX of the
Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1396 et seq.).
(5) Institution of higher education.--The term
``institution of higher education'' has the meaning given such
term in section 101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20
U.S.C. 1001).
(6) Vocational school.--The term ``vocational school''
means--
(A) a specialized public secondary school used
exclusively or principally for the provision of
vocational and technical education to individuals who
are available for study in preparation for entering the
labor market; or
(B) the department or division of an institution of
higher education that provides vocational and technical
education in not fewer than five different occupational
fields leading to immediate employment but not
necessarily leading to a baccalaureate degree.
(7) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of Education.
(i) Authorization of Appropriations.--
(1) In general.--There are authorized to be appropriated
$20,000,000 to carry out this Act for fiscal year 2011 and each
of fiscal years 2012 through 2014.
(2) No fiscal year limitation on funding.--Funds
appropriated under paragraph (1) shall remain available until
expended.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Education and Labor.
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