Grow Your Own Teacher Act - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to direct the Secretary of Education to establish a Grow Your Own Teacher program making competitive grants to eligible entities to train and employ certain individuals in hard-to-staff schools or teaching positions.
Defines an "eligible entity" as a consortium consisting of a local educational agency (LEA) that receives school improvement funds under part A of title I of the Act and an institution of higher education that offers a state-accredited teacher certificate program.
Requires the grant to be used to: (1) train certain individuals who received a high school diploma from a participating LEA to be teachers, including by having them observe and work with a veteran teacher in a classroom for at least one year; (2) employ such individuals in hard-to-staff schools and teaching positions in such LEA, with priority given to teaching positions in mathematics, science, special education, world languages, and English as a second language; and (3) employ such individuals in a manner that reduces the divergence between the racial diversity of teachers and of students.
Authorizes the Secretary to forgive the student loans incurred by training program participants who have been employed as teachers in hard-to-staff schools or teaching positions.
[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5839 Introduced in House (IH)]
113th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 5839
To amend title II of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965
to establish a Federal ``Grow Your Own Teacher'' program, and for other
purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
December 10, 2014
Mr. Israel introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Education and the Workforce
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend title II of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965
to establish a Federal ``Grow Your Own Teacher'' 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 ``Grow Your Own Teacher Act''.
SEC. 2. GROW YOUR OWN TEACHER PROGRAM.
Title II of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20
U.S.C. 6601 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:
``PART E--GROW YOUR OWN TEACHER PROGRAM
``SEC. 2501. GROW YOUR OWN TEACHER PROGRAM.
``(a) In General.--From amounts made available to carry out this
part, the Secretary shall carry out a program to make grants, on a
competitive basis, to eligible entities, to be used by such entities to
train and employ eligible individuals in hard-to-staff schools or hard-
to-staff teaching positions in accordance with subsection (c).
``(b) Definitions.--In this section:
``(1) Eligible entity.--The term `eligible entity' means a
consortium consisting of--
``(A) a local educational agency that is eligible
to receive funds under part A of title I; and
``(B) an institution of higher education that
offers a program, accredited by the State, for
preparing individuals to fulfill all the requirements
for receiving a teaching certificate in the State of
the local educational agency described in subparagraph
(A).
``(2) Eligible individual.--The term `eligible individual'
means an individual--
``(A) who--
``(i) received a high school diploma from a
local educational agency described in paragraph
(1)(A); and
``(ii) is enrolled in a program to receive
a teaching certificate in the State of the
local educational agency at an institution of
higher education described in paragraph (1)(B);
and
``(B) is--
``(i) a high school graduate who graduated
not more than 5 years ago;
``(ii) a parent of a current or former
student of the local educational agency who has
a history of working to improve the local
educational agency; or
``(iii) an education support professional
in the local educational agency who works with
students in an instructional role.
``(3) Veteran teacher.--The term `veteran teacher' means a
teacher who has taught in a local educational agency described
in paragraph (1)(A) for a period of least 15 years.
``(4) Student loans.--The term `student loans' means any
loans awarded to an eligible individual under title IV of the
Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070 et seq.).
``(c) Use of Funds.--
``(1) In general.--An eligible entity receiving a grant
under this section shall use such grant funds to--
``(A) conduct a training program for eligible
individuals to be teachers, which shall include
requiring such individuals to observe and work with a
veteran teacher in a classroom for at least one year;
``(B) employ such individuals in hard-to-staff
schools and hard-to-staff teaching positions in the
local educational agency of the eligible entity, with
priority given to teaching positions in mathematics,
science, special education, world languages, and
English as a second language; and
``(C) employ such individuals in a manner that
reduces the divergence between the racial diversity of
teachers and of students.
``(2) Other authorized activities.--An eligible entity
receiving a grant under this section may use any grant funds
that remain after carrying out paragraph (1) for the following
activities:
``(A) Helping an eligible individual trained under
this section to cover the costs of childcare and other
indirect expenses that are reasonably required by the
individual to participate in the training program.
``(B) Recruiting and counseling eligible
individuals, and individuals who are likely to become
eligible individuals in the near future (such as
students soon to receive a high school diploma from a
local educational agency described in subsection
(b)(1)(A)), to participate in the training program.
``(C) Providing space in the community of the
eligible entity to carry out the activities described
in subparagraph (B).
``(D) Offering the training program under this
section in community settings and to provide tutoring
services to supplement the training.
``(E) Carrying out any other activities consistent
with the purposes of this section, as determined by the
Secretary.
``(d) Student Loan Forgiveness.--
``(1) In general.--From the amounts made available to carry
out this part, the Secretary is authorized to forgive the
student loans incurred by an eligible individual who has
completed a training program under this section and has been
employed as a teacher in a hard-to-staff school or hard-to-
staff teaching position, in an amount not to exceed the total
amount of students loans incurred by the individual for
participating in the program.
``(2) Amount of loan forgiveness.--The Secretary may
forgive--
``(A) in the case of an eligible individual who has
been employed in a hard-to-staff school or hard-to-
staff teaching position for at least 5 years, the total
amount of the student loans incurred by the student for
participating in a training program under this section;
or
``(B) in the case of an eligible individual who has
been employed in a hard-to-staff school or hard-to-
staff teaching position for less than 5 years, an
amount that is less than the total amount of the
student loans incurred by the student for participating
in a training program under this section.
``(e) Regulations.--The Secretary is authorized to promulgate any
regulations as may be necessary to carry out this section.
``(f) Rule of Construction.--Nothing in this section shall be
construed to alter or otherwise affect the rights, remedies, and
procedures afforded school or local educational agency employees under
Federal, State, or local laws (including applicable regulations or
court orders) or under the terms of collective bargaining agreements,
memoranda of understanding, or other agreements between such employees
and their employers.
``(g) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be
appropriated to carry out this section such sums as may be
necessary.''.
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Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.
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