PRINTER'S NO. 1098
No. 932 Session of 2003
INTRODUCED BY BROWNE, BAKER, BARRAR, CAPPELLI, CAWLEY, COSTA,
CURRY, DALEY, DALLY, HARHAI, HARPER, HENNESSEY, HERMAN,
HORSEY, MANN, PHILLIPS, REICHLEY, ROEBUCK, ROSS, SAINATO,
STURLA, THOMAS, WASHINGTON, WILT AND YUDICHAK, MARCH 19, 2003
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION, MARCH 19, 2003
AN ACT
1 Amending the act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), entitled "An
2 act relating to the public school system, including certain
3 provisions applicable as well to private and parochial
4 schools; amending, revising, consolidating and changing the
5 laws relating thereto," providing for a quality instruction
6 program; and making an appropriation.
7 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
8 hereby enacts as follows:
9 Section 1. The act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), known
10 as the Public School Code of 1949, is amended by adding an
11 article to read:
12 ARTICLE XII-B.
13 IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF INSTRUCTION PROGRAM.
14 Section 1201-B. Legislative Findings.--The General Assembly
15 finds and declares as follows:
16 (1) A well-trained and well-educated work force is essential
17 to the economic well-being of this Commonwealth and its
18 citizens.
19 (2) A system of public education that provides a quality
1 education for all the children of this Commonwealth is essential
2 in maintaining a well-trained and well-educated work force.
3 (3) One of the greatest influences on the quality of
4 education and academic performance of students is the quality of
5 instruction with particular emphasis on the knowledge, skills
6 and qualifications of teachers. Fully trained and certified
7 teachers provide better instruction leading to higher student
8 achievement. A well-trained teacher work force also saves money
9 in the long run over emergency hires and alternatively certified
10 teachers who receive only a few days or weeks of training before
11 they are hired.
12 (4) It is in the interests of the Commonwealth to assist
13 school districts, especially financially poor school districts,
14 in their efforts to improve the quality of instruction for all
15 children in public education and more specifically to improve
16 the knowledge, skills and qualifications of teachers in public
17 schools.
18 (5) It is in the interests of the Commonwealth to assist
19 school districts, especially financially poor school districts,
20 to improve their teacher work force through National Board
21 Certification of their teachers and to provide incentives to
22 those teachers attaining National Board Certification to serve
23 as mentors to new and existing teachers. National Board
24 Certification of teachers is a nationally recognized process
25 designed to certify teachers so that they, like professionals in
26 other fields, can achieve distinction by meeting rigorous
27 standards of knowledge and performance. The certification
28 requirements far exceed existing State recertification
29 requirements. National Board Certification is endorsed by
30 leading business groups including: United States Chamber of
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1 Commerce, National Association of Manufacturers, American
2 Business Conference, Business Higher Education Forum, Council on
3 Competitiveness and Council of Growing Companies.
4 (6) In order to address the fact that some school districts,
5 due to teacher shortages, are forced to hire teachers not
6 certified in their area of instruction, particularly in the
7 areas of science and mathematics, the State should provide
8 assistance to school districts in the continuing education of
9 teachers to ensure that all of their teachers are certified in
10 their area of instruction.
11 (7) In order to ensure that new technology in our children's
12 classrooms serves to improve the quality of instruction, the
13 State should provide assistance to school districts to ensure
14 that their teachers are properly trained and capable of using
15 the new technology and integrating computers into classroom
16 instruction.
17 (8) It is in the interests of the Commonwealth for the State
18 to provide assistance to school districts, especially
19 financially poor school districts, to provide every high school
20 student with academic promise with the opportunity to take an
21 Advanced Placement course. Advanced placement courses are
22 recognized as a proven program exposing high school students to
23 academically rigorous coursework and challenging standards.
24 Pennsylvania presently lags behind other surrounding states in
25 providing advanced placement courses to its brightest and most
26 promising students.
27 Section 1202-B. Definitions.--For the purposes of this
28 article, the following terms shall have the following meanings:
29 "Advanced placement courses" shall mean high school level
30 preparatory courses for advanced placement examination that is
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1 approved by the College Board and Educational Testing Service.
2 "Advanced placement examination" shall mean the advanced
3 placement examinations conducted by the College Entrance
4 Examination Board, on the basis of which participating
5 institutions of post-secondary education award post-secondary
6 academic credit.
7 "Applicant" shall mean a school district or a combination of
8 school districts which applies for funds under this article.
9 "Average daily membership" shall have the same meaning as it
10 is defined in section 2501.
11 "Continuing professional education opportunities" shall mean
12 continuing professional education courses, programs, activities
13 and other learning experiences approved to meet continuing
14 professional requirements under section 1205.2.
15 "Department" shall mean the Department of Education of the
16 Commonwealth.
17 "Educator" shall mean an individual who holds a Pennsylvania
18 teacher, educational specialist or administrative certification
19 or letter of eligibility.
20 "Higher education institutions" shall mean any institution of
21 higher education in this Commonwealth authorized to grant
22 collegiate level degrees and which has received total
23 institutional accreditation by an accrediting agency recognized
24 by the Federal Government, the Department of Education and the
25 State Board of Education.
26 "Market Value/Personal Income Aid Ratio" shall have the same
27 meaning as it is defined in section 2501.
28 "National Board Certification" shall mean a continuing
29 education program established by the private nonprofit National
30 Board for Professional Teaching Standards designed to certify
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1 experienced teachers that complete a demanding demonstration of
2 their content knowledge and teacher skills. Teachers achieving
3 National Board Certification are recognized by their peers as
4 ones who meet high and rigorous professional standards and
5 accomplished teaching practices.
6 "School district" shall have the same meaning as in section
7 102.
8 "School entity" shall mean any public school district,
9 intermediate unit or area vocational-technical school.
10 "Secretary" shall mean the Secretary of Education of the
11 Commonwealth.
12 Section 1203-B. Establishment of Program.--There is hereby
13 established in the department the Quality Instruction Program.
14 The program shall provide Quality Instruction Entitlement Grants
15 and Quality Instruction Competitive Grants to eligible school
16 districts for the purpose of improving the quality of
17 instruction for all children in public education and more
18 specifically to improve the knowledge, skills and qualifications
19 of teachers in public schools.
20 Section 1204-B. Applications.--(a) Applicants for grant
21 funding under section 1205-B or 1206-B shall submit applications
22 at the time, in the manner and containing or accompanied by such
23 information as the department may prescribe but, in any case,
24 shall include a plan for the expenditure of grant funds that
25 documents the following:
26 (1) That the plan is developed in consultation with the
27 faculty and administrative staff of the schools within the
28 school district and members of the community that will be
29 affected by the plan.
30 (2) That the plan indicates how the grant funds will be
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1 allocated for eligible uses under section 1206-A and how grant
2 funds will be allocated to school entities within the school
3 district.
4 (3) That the plan provides qualitative and quantitative
5 measures that will be used to determine whether the eligible
6 uses of grant funds have improved the academic performance of
7 students benefiting from the grant funds and improved the
8 knowledge, skills and qualifications of educators.
9 (b) Two or more school districts eligible for funding under
10 section 1205-B and/or 1206-B may submit a joint application.
11 Section 1205-B. Quality Instruction Entitlement Grants.--The
12 department shall provide Quality Instruction Entitlement Grants
13 to those school districts eligible for Quality Instruction
14 Entitlement Grants whose Market Value/Personal Income Aid Ratio
15 (MV/PIAR) is greater than the State median (MV/PIAR) for the
16 prior school year. Those school districts that are eligible for
17 funding shall receive twenty dollars ($20) for each student
18 included in the school district's average daily membership. No
19 school district eligible for a Quality Instruction Entitlement
20 Grant shall receive less than fifteen thousand dollars ($15,000)
21 of grant funding.
22 Section 1206-B. Quality Instruction Competitive Grants.--(a)
23 School districts that are not eligible for funding under section
24 1205-B may apply to the department for Quality Instruction
25 Competitive Grants. A school district eligible for funding under
26 section 1205-B is not eligible for funding under this section.
27 (b) The department shall develop a competitive grant
28 procedure that shall factor in the size and the relative wealth
29 of the school districts in determining which school districts
30 would receive Quality Instruction Competitive Grants. The
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1 department shall also determine a minimum and maximum grant
2 amount that a school district could receive.
3 Section 1207-B. Eligible Uses of Grant Funding.--(a) School
4 districts receiving funding under section 1205-B or 1206-B may
5 use funding for the following purposes:
6 (1) To provide incentives for educators to seek National
7 Board Certification by reimbursing educators up to two thousand
8 dollars ($2,000) per educator for the cost for seeking National
9 Board Certification.
10 (2) To provide those educators that have completed National
11 Board Certification with up to one thousand dollars ($1,000) per
12 educator per year to serve as mentors to other teachers in their
13 school district.
14 (3) To provide continuing professional education
15 opportunities to those educators that are teaching in a
16 classroom outside of their area of certification in order to
17 become certified in their areas of instruction. School districts
18 may collaborate with other school entities and/or higher
19 education institutions to provide these continuing education
20 courses through distance learning technology.
21 (4) To provide continuing professional education
22 opportunities to educators and reading aides to improve the
23 knowledge and skills in the area of reading instruction,
24 curriculum and programs.
25 (5) Promote Learning to Link by providing continuing
26 professional education opportunities and training to educators
27 in the use of new technologies and computers in educating
28 students, including integrating new education technologies into
29 classroom instruction to improve student academic performance.
30 (6) To train educators to teach advanced placement courses
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1 and/or to pay for materials or equipment needed to offer
2 Advanced Placement courses.
3 (7) To improve a teacher induction program that monitors and
4 supports new teachers to ensure quality instruction. No funding
5 under this article may be used by the school district for
6 services already provided in an existing teacher induction
7 program.
8 (8) For programs developed by the school district and
9 approved by the department that have demonstrated improvements
10 in the quality of instruction and improved the academic
11 performance of students in the school district.
12 (b) Two or more school districts receiving funding under
13 section 1205-B and/or 1206-B may combine their funding to
14 provide for one or more of the eligible uses for funding.
15 (c) Educators who participate in activities specified under
16 this section shall earn professional development credit as
17 required under section 1205.2.
18 Section 1208-B. Reports.--(a) All school districts
19 receiving funding under section 1205-B or 1206-B shall on an
20 annual basis submit a report to the department detailing the
21 allocation of grant funds by eligible uses under section 1207-B
22 and by a school entity within the school district. The report
23 shall also document both qualitatively and quantitatively the
24 impact of the grant funding on improving the academic
25 performance of students benefiting from the grant funds and
26 improving the knowledge, skills and qualifications of educators.
27 The department shall develop the procedures and format that
28 school districts will use in preparing their report.
29 (b) The department shall submit to the General Assembly and
30 make public a report on the allocation of grant funds by school
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1 district and by eligible uses under section 1207-B. The report
2 shall also document both qualitatively and quantitatively the
3 impact both Statewide and by school district of the grant
4 funding on improving the academic performance of students
5 benefiting from the grant funds and improving the knowledge,
6 skills and qualifications of educators.
7 Section 1209-B. State Funding.--The sum of twenty-five
8 million dollars ($25,000,000), or as much thereof as may be
9 necessary, is hereby appropriated to the Department of Education
10 for each fiscal year from fiscal year 2003-2004 through fiscal
11 year 2007-2008 for the purpose of this article. Of this
12 appropriation amount, no more than fifteen million dollars
13 ($15,000,000) shall be allocated each year for funding under
14 section 1205-B and no less than ten million dollars
15 ($10,000,000) shall be allocated for funding under section 1206-
16 B.
17 Section 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
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