Smaller Class Sizes for Students and Educators Act of 2024
This bill directs the Department of Education to award grants for local educational agencies to reduce class sizes in the early elementary grades (grades K-3) in targeted public elementary schools by recruiting, hiring, and supporting qualified teachers.
[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 9570 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
118th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 9570
To provide grants to local educational agencies to help public schools
reduce class size in the early elementary grades, and for other
purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
September 12, 2024
Mrs. McBath (for herself and Ms. Brown) introduced the following bill;
which was referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To provide grants to local educational agencies to help public schools
reduce class size in the early elementary grades, 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 ``Smaller Class Sizes for Students and
Educators Act of 2024''.
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) ESEA terms.--The terms ``elementary school'', ``local
educational agency'', ``poverty line'', ``professional
development'', and ``State'' have the meanings given the terms
in section 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act
of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801).
(2) Early elementary grades.--The term ``early elementary
grades'' means kindergarten through grade 3.
(3) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of Education.
(4) Targeted school.--The term ``targeted school'' means a
public elementary school served by a local educational agency
that is in the highest quartile of all public elementary
schools served by the local educational agency based on the
number of students enrolled in the school who are eligible for
a free or reduced price lunch under the Richard B. Russell
National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1751 et seq.).
SEC. 3. REDUCING CLASS SIZE IN KINDERGARTEN THROUGH GRADE 3 CLASSROOMS.
(a) Program Authorized.--
(1) In general.--From amounts made available under
subsection (g), the Secretary shall award grants, on a
competitive basis, to local educational agencies to enable the
local educational agencies to reduce class sizes in the early
elementary grades.
(2) Duration of grant.--A grant awarded under this section
shall be for a period of 5 years.
(b) Application.--A local educational agency that desires a grant
under this section shall submit an application to the Secretary at such
time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary
may require, including the local educational agency's evidence-based
plan to reduce class sizes in the early elementary grades that includes
the following:
(1) A description of--
(A) how the local educational agency will reduce
the class sizes in the early elementary grades in the
targeted schools served by the local educational agency
to not more than 18 students per class, including--
(i) the early elementary grade levels that
will be supported under the grant;
(ii) how the agency will take into
consideration the needs of subgroups of
students (as defined in section 1111(c)(2) of
the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of
1965 (20 U.S.C. 6311(c)(2))), grade level,
subject area, physical facilities, and workload
maximums for educators when determining class
size maximums; and
(iii) how the local educational agency will
determine or define class size; and
(B) the continuum of small class sizes based on
grade level the local educational agency will provide
for students in the early elementary grades in the
targeted schools served by the local educational
agency.
(2) A description of how the local educational agency will
recruit, hire, prepare, and retain educators, including
educators from populations underrepresented in the teaching
profession (including by racial, ethnic, or linguistic group),
as teachers in the early elementary grades.
(3) A description of how the local educational agency will
provide professional development and training for teachers in
the early elementary grades to improve students' academic,
social, emotional, and mental health outcomes.
(4) A description of how the local educational agency will
provide educators with sufficient preparation time during the
school year for activities such as analyzing student work,
instruction and assessment planning, or curriculum and
instruction-specific professional development.
(5) A description of how the local educational agency will
ensure that any new teachers hired using grant funds meet all
applicable State certification and licensure requirements.
(6) In the case of a local educational agency that is using
funds available under part A of title II of the Elementary and
Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6611 et seq.) for
class size reduction, information regarding the extent to which
the funds are being used to reduce class size in the early
elementary grades in targeted schools.
(7) The average class size, by grade, in the early
elementary grades of the public schools served by the local
educational agency at the time the application is submitted and
during the prior 2 academic years, and the goals for the class
size, by grade, in the early elementary grades of the public
schools served by the local educational agency.
(c) Award Basis.--In awarding grants under this section, the
Secretary shall give priority to local educational agencies serving the
greatest number or percentage of students who are from families with
incomes at or below the poverty line.
(d) Use of Funds.--
(1) Administrative expenses.--A local educational agency
receiving a grant under this section may use not more than 3
percent of the grant funds for the administrative expenses of
the grant.
(2) Reducing class size.--
(A) In general.--A local educational agency shall
use not less than 97 percent of the grant funds to
reduce class sizes in the early elementary grades at
targeted schools served by the local educational agency
by--
(i) recruiting, hiring, and supporting
fully certified and qualified teachers, both
general education teachers and teachers of
children with disabilities, for the early
elementary grades at the targeted schools;
(ii) obtaining additional space, or
renovating school buildings, to provide more
classroom space, except that not more than 15
percent of the funds provided under the grant
may be used for this purpose;
(iii) providing professional development
for teachers of the early elementary grades at
the targeted schools, except that not more than
15 percent of the funds provided under the
grant may be used for this purpose; and
(iv) developing feedback mechanisms to
improve school working conditions, including
through periodically and publicly reporting
results of educator support and working
conditions feedback.
(B) Highest need.--In carrying out activities under
the grant, the local educational agency shall first
prioritize targeted schools that serve the highest
percentage of students from families with incomes at or
below the poverty line, and then prioritize such
schools with the highest average class sizes in the
early elementary grades.
(e) Reporting.--
(1) Annual reports.--
(A) Local educational agencies.--Each local
educational agency receiving a grant under this section
shall prepare and submit to the State in which the
agency is located an annual report on activities
carried out under grant, including progress in reaching
the goals in reducing class size described in the
application under subsection (b)(7).
(B) States.--A State that receives a report under
subparagraph (A) shall submit such report to the
Secretary.
(2) Evaluation.--The Secretary, acting through the Director
of the Institute of Education Sciences, shall conduct an
evaluation of the activities carried out under grants awarded
under this section, including an evaluation of--
(A) the progress of the local educational agency in
reducing class size in the early elementary grades at
the targeted schools served by the local educational
agency;
(B) student academic achievement in the early
elementary grades of the targeted schools receiving
support through the local educational agency under the
grant where pre- and post-assessment data is available;
(C) a climate study of--
(i) teachers in such targeted schools that
addresses working conditions, job satisfaction,
and teacher stress; and
(ii) students, and parents of students,
enrolled in such targeted schools;
(D) teacher qualifications for newly hired teachers
in such targeted schools for class size reduction;
(E) targeted professional development and training
provided to newly hired teachers in targeted schools
for class size reduction;
(F) the time added to be used for teachers to
collaborate in targeted schools;
(G) teacher chronic absenteeism and retention and
turnover rates pre- and post-class size reduction
efforts; and
(H) rates of student discipline and chronic student
absenteeism.
(3) Annual reports by the secretary.--By not later than 90
days after the date by which the reports under paragraph (1)
are first due, and annually thereafter, the Secretary shall
prepare and submit a report to the Committee on Health,
Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate and the Committee
on Education and the Workforce of the House of Representatives
regarding the grants awarded under this section.
(f) Supplement, Not Supplant.--A local educational agency receiving
funds under this section shall use such funds to supplement, and not
supplant, any other funds available to the local educational agency for
the purposes of reducing class size in the early elementary grades.
(g) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be
appropriated to carry out this section $2,000,000,000 for the first
fiscal year after the date of enactment of this Act and such sums as
are necessary for each succeeding fiscal year.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.
Llama 3.2 · runs locally in your browser
Ask anything about this bill. The AI reads the full text to answer.
Enter to send · Shift+Enter for new line