THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA

SENATE BILL

INTRODUCED BY BROWNE, TARTAGLIONE, FONTANA, GREENLEAF, STACK, COSTA, SCHWANK, HUGHES, ERICKSON, YUDICHAK, SOLOBAY, FERLO, WILLIAMS, BOSCOLA, WARD, MENSCH AND PIPPY, APRIL 16, 2012

REFERRED TO EDUCATION, APRIL 16, 2012  

AN ACT

Establishing the Teacher Education and Compensation Helps

(T.E.A.C.H.) Scholarship Program within the Department of

Education; and making an appropriation.

The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

hereby enacts as follows:

Section 1.  Short title.

This act shall be known and may be cited as the Teacher

Education and Compensation Helps (T.E.A.C.H.) Scholarship

Program Act.

Section. 2.  Declaration of policy.

The General Assembly finds and declares as follows:

(1)  Investing in quality care and early education

produces long-run savings for communities and the

Commonwealth by reducing the need for special education and

creating fewer grade retentions, less remediation and higher

graduation rates.

(2)  Children in high-quality child care and other

regulated early learning settings have better life chances if

there is consistency among the teachers who care for them,

the teacher who cares for them has formal education beyond

high school and the teachers have college courses in the

field of early childhood education.

(3)  Research has found that the single most important

determinant of child-care quality is the presence of

consistent, sensitive, well-trained and well-compensated

child-care providers.

(4)  The vast majority of classroom staff in child-care

programs do not have a two-year or four-year degree and are

paid at wage levels that lead to high turnover.

(5)  Teacher Education and Compensation Helps

(T.E.A.C.H.) is a nationally licensed scholarship program

built on the principles of partnership, collaboration and

strengthening existing systems to offer scholarship programs

and support systems that improve the education and

compensation of child-care workers.

(6)  Historically, the Pennsylvania T.E.A.C.H.

Scholarship Program has worked with providers, colleges and

child-care staff to obtain funding through grants from

businesses, foundations and government to increase

professionalism, raise wages and reduce turnover of child-

care staff, which brings higher-quality care to

Pennsylvania's children.

(7)  The T.E.A.C.H. Scholarship Program supported more

than 2,200 students in Commonwealth communities and four-year

colleges and universities in fiscal year 2010-2011.

(8)  Prior to the establishment of the Pennsylvania

T.E.A.C.H. Scholarship Program, many higher education

institutions laid off early childhood faculty and considered

closing their early childhood departments. The Pennsylvania

T.E.A.C.H. Scholarship Program has contributed to fundamental

education reform by requiring articulation agreements between

two-year and four-year degree-granting institutions to

develop and create systems and policies that better support

nontraditional students.

(9)  All Federal and State dollars to sustain the

Pennsylvania T.E.A.C.H. Scholarship Program were eliminated

in the 2011-2012 fiscal year.

(10)  It is imperative that the General Assembly enact

legislation to require the department to establish the

T.E.A.C.H. Scholarship Program as a permanent professional

development scholarship program in this Commonwealth and to

appropriate stable funding to sustain the program.

Section 3.  Definitions.

The following words and phrases when used in this act shall

have the meanings given to them in this section unless the

context clearly indicates otherwise:

"Contributors."  Any person, entity or government agency that

appropriates or donates money to be deposited into the fund.

"Department."  The Department of Education of the

Commonwealth.

"Fund."  The Teacher Education and Compensation Helps

(T.E.A.C.H.) Scholarship Fund.

"Program."  The Teacher Education and Compensation Helps

(T.E.A.C.H.) Scholarship Program.

"Scholarship."  A Teacher Education and Compensation Helps

(T.E.A.C.H.) Scholarship awarded under this act.

"Scholarship year."  The year for which a Teacher Education

and Compensation Helps (T.E.A.C.H.) Scholarship was awarded

under this act.

"Subcontractor."  The subcontractor chosen by the Department

of Education under section 4(b).

Section 4.  Teacher Education and Compensation Helps

(T.E.A.C.H.) Scholarship Program.

(a)  Establishment.--The department shall establish the

Teacher Education and Compensation Helps (T.E.A.C.H.)

Scholarship Program for the purpose of providing scholarships

for professional development through continuing education and

credentialing to Commonwealth residents currently employed in

regulated child care, Head Start, publicly funded

prekindergarten programs or early learning programs accredited

by national accrediting organizations recognized by Keystone

STARS.

(b)  Administration.--The department shall subcontract the

administration of the program with a Statewide nonprofit

organization that is licensed to administer the national

T.E.A.C.H. Scholarship Program.

(c)  Components.--The program shall be comprised of the

following components:

(1)  Scholarships that cover most of the cost of the

following:

(i)  Tuition and books.

(ii)  Travel stipends for each semester they are

enrolled in class.

(iii)  Paid release time for a participant to attend

class, study or take tests.

(2)  A requirement that each scholarship year the

participant must successfully complete a required number of

credit hours toward a degree or credential in early childhood

education which is granted by a Pennsylvania-accredited

institution of higher education.

(3)  Eligibility for bonuses or for a raise for

successfully completing the educational requirements at the

end of the scholarship year.

(4)  A requirement that participants working toward a

credential or associate's degree agree to continue working in

their child-care program for one year after each scholarship

year or for two years after each scholarship year if they are

enrolled in a bachelor's degree program.

(5)  A requirement that all participants shall be

assigned a counselor to assist them in scholarship management

and career development.

(d)  Development.--In consultation with the national

T.E.A.C.H. Scholarship Program, the subcontractor to administer

the program shall be responsible for developing program

guidelines and funding applications and criteria.

(e)  Award.--Scholarships shall be awarded by the

subcontractor to eligible recipients to complete coursework

resulting in:

(1)  A child development associate credential or school-

age care credential.

(2)  An associate's degree or bachelor's degree in early

childhood development.

(3)  An early childhood education certification.

(f)  Requirements.--Applicants for a scholarship shall be

employed and working directly with children by a regulated child

care, school-age program, Head Start, publicly funded

prekindergarten program or early learning program accredited by

national accrediting organizations recognized by Keystone STARS.

(g)  Form.--Not later than 180 days after the effective date

of this section, the subcontractor shall prescribe the

scholarship process and the form and manner of the scholarship

application. In awarding scholarships, the subcontractor shall

provide lower-wage earners with priority consideration.

(h)  Contribution.--Scholarship recipients must:

(1)  contribute not less than 10% of the total cost of

the scholarship; and

(2)  be sponsored by their employers who, in addition to

the contribution made by the scholarship recipient, must

contribute not less than 10% of the total cost of the

scholarship.

Section 5.  Advisory committee.

Not later than 180 days after the effective date of this

section, the department shall require the subcontractor to

appoint a 13-member advisory committee that includes

contributors, early childhood stakeholders, higher education

representatives from community colleges and the Pennsylvania

State System of Higher Education to provide feedback, identify

funding priorities and make recommendations to the department to

further enhance the program.

Section 6.  Annual report.

The department shall require the subcontractor to annually

review the operation of and compile a report of the program.

For the first three years of the program, the subcontractor

shall provide a detailed report to the General Assembly by

December 31, and thereafter by December 31 of each year to the

department.

Section 7.  Teacher Education and Compensation Helps

(T.E.A.C.H.) Scholarship Fund.

(a)  Establishment.--There is established within the State

Treasury a special fund to be known as the Teacher Education and

Compensation Helps (T.E.A.C.H.) Scholarship Fund for the

purposes enumerated under section 4.

(b)  Availability of funds.--A minimum number of scholarships

shall be made available as follows:

(1)  Two hundred scholarships in fiscal year 2012-2013.

(2)  Three hundred scholarships in fiscal year 2013-2014.

(3)  Four hundred and fifty scholarships in fiscal year

2014-2015.

(4)  Six hundred and seventy-five scholarships in fiscal

year 2015-2016.

(5)  One thousand and twelve scholarships in fiscal year

2016-2017.

(c)  Funding.--Moneys for the fund shall be provided from

appropriations to carry out the purposes of this act. The

department shall seek Federal matching funds as available.

(d)  Deposit.--All money specifically appropriated by the

General Assembly for the purposes of this section, and any

funds, contributions or payments which may be made available to

the fund by the Federal Government, the department, another

State agency or any public or private source for the purpose of

implementing this act, shall be deposited in the fund.

(e)  Appropriation.--The money of the fund is continually

appropriated, upon approval of the Governor, to the department

for the purposes enumerated under section 4.

(f)  Administration.--The department may use up to 2% of the

moneys in the fund for the administration of the program.

Section 20.  Effective date.

This act shall take effect in 30 days.