Regular Session 2021-2022 House Bill 2206 P.N. 2571

PRINTER'S NO. 2571

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA

HOUSE BILL

No.

2206

Session of

2021

INTRODUCED BY SCHLOSSBERG, BRADFORD, CIRESI, FREEMAN, HENNESSEY,

HILL-EVANS, HOHENSTEIN, HOWARD, KINSEY, LONGIETTI, McCLINTON,

SANCHEZ, SIMS, SOLOMON AND WARREN, DECEMBER 30, 2021

REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION, DECEMBER 30, 2021

AN ACT

Establishing the Grow Our Own Educators Program; providing for

grants to eligible school entities; and imposing powers and

duties on the Department of Education and the State Board of

Education.

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 Grow Our Own

Educators Act.

Section 2. Legislative intent.

Recognizing the steady decline in the number of people

seeking a teaching certification in this Commonwealth, and that

this Commonwealth has one of the least diverse educator

workforces in the country, the General Assembly seeks to

establish a program aimed at increasing the pipeline of high-

quality and diverse future educators. The program should equip

aspiring educators with the supports necessary to ultimately

become a certified educator.

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:

"Board." The State Board of Education.

"Community organization." A nonprofit organization with a

demonstrated commitment to improving the educational and social

well-being of a community. The term includes a local education,

youth, parent, educator and employee organization.

"Department." The Department of Education of the

Commonwealth.

"Eligible entity." A school entity, institution of higher

education or partnership.

"Employee organization." As defined in section 301 of the

act of July 23, 1970 (P.L.563, No.195), known as the Public

Employe Relations Act.

"Hard-to-staff teaching position." An instructional

category, including, but not limited to, special education,

mathematics or science, in which Statewide data compiled by the

board indicates a multiyear pattern of substantial teacher

shortage or that has been identified as a critical need by a

local school board.

"High-need school." A public school that is:

(1) within the top quartile of elementary and secondary

schools Statewide, as ranked by the number of unfilled

available teacher positions;

(2) located in an area where at least 30% of students

have families with incomes below the poverty line; or

(3) located in an area with a high percentage of out-of-

field teachers, high teacher turnover rate or high percentage

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of teachers who are not certified or licensed.

"Higher education institution." A public or private two-year

or four-year or higher postsecondary institution in this

Commonwealth that has been accredited at the college level by an

accrediting agency recognized by the United States Secretary of

Education.

"Partnership." A collaboration among at least one school

entity and an institution of higher education with a teacher

preparation program approved by the department. A partnership

may also include a community organization.

"Program." The Grow Our Own Educators Program established

under section 4.

"School entity." A school district in this Commonwealth.

"Secretary." The Secretary of Education of the Commonwealth.

Section 4. Grow Our Own Educators Program.

(a) Establishment.--The Grow Our Own Educators Program is

established. The program shall provide financial assistance,

including the following pathways for educators to help support

high-need schools in geographic areas that have hard-to-staff

teaching positions:

(1) Student to aspiring educator pathway. This pathway

consists of a partnership designed for students in high

school with an interest in pursuing education as a profession

and that provides the following:

(i) School entities, students and institutions of

higher education partner to develop specific plans for

each student.

(ii) While in high school, students enroll in a

series of credit-bearing postsecondary coursework which

may include dual enrollment courses.

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(iii) Once a student is enrolled in the program, the

student receives financial assistance in the form of free

or reduced tuition offered by an institution of higher

education.

(iv) Students continue to be mentored as the student

progresses through the program so that the student has

the support needed to thrive.

(v) Upon graduating from high school, students work

for a designated amount of time at one of the partnering

school entities in a high-need school.

(2) Paraprofessional to educator pathway. This pathway

consists of using untapped resources for diversifying the

educator workforce in this Commonwealth. Partners must

address the need for flexibility with course offerings as

well as using wage-earning classroom time toward required

internship hours.

(3) Parents to paraprofessional pathway. This pathway

consists of technical assistance, funding and supports for

community organizations to develop a collaborative,

community-specific plan. Eligible community organizations

must demonstrate a commitment to the program by building

sustainable structures to reduce barriers for parents to

pursue postsecondary education and meaningful, family-

sustaining employment.

(b) Duties of board.--The board shall establish criteria and

certify hard-to-staff teaching positions and high-need schools.

Section 5. Grow Our Own Educators Grants.

(a) Grant awards.--To the extent that money is appropriated

for the purpose, the department shall award grants on a

competitive basis to eligible school entities that meet criteria

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for funding.

(b) Funding sources.--The department may use the following

to award grants under the program:

(1) Private, Federal, State and institutional resources.

(2) Appropriations made by the General Assembly for the

program.

(3) Funding appropriated to the department for general

government operations.

(4) Funding appropriated to the department under Federal

law.

(5) Up to $250,000 annually of undistributed money not

expended, encumbered or committed from appropriations for

grants and subsidies made to the department to award grants

under Article VI-A of the act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30,

No.14), known as the Public School Code of 1949, excluding

any amounts required to be transferred to the Financial

Recovery School District Transitional Loan Account to make

loans as provided under section 681-A of the Public School

Code of 1949. The money shall be transferred by the Secretary

of the Budget to a restricted account as necessary to award

grants, and, when transferred, the money in the restricted

account is hereby appropriated to carry out the provisions of

this act.

to an application for grant funding under this act to schools in

districts identified under Article VI-A of the Public School

Code of 1949 and schools identified for comprehensive support

and improvement under the Every Student Succeeds Act (Public Law

114-95, 129 Stat. 1802). The department shall ensure that all

money appropriated or made available to the department for

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grants under this act is distributed geographically throughout

this Commonwealth.

(d) Applications for funding.--An eligible school entity

must submit an application, in a form deemed acceptable by the

department, to the department in order to be awarded a planning

grant or implementation grant under this act.

(e) Technical assistance.--The department shall provide

technical assistance to the eligible school entities applying

for grants under this act.

(f) Guidelines.--The department shall develop guidelines and

post them on the department's publicly accessible Internet

website.

(g) Exclusions.--

(1) Grants received under this act shall supplement and

not supplant other funds.

(2) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a grant

award received by a school entity under this act shall not be

included in the school district's budgeted total expenditure

per average daily membership used to calculate the amount to

be paid to a charter school or to a regional charter school

under section 1725-A(a)(2) and (3) of the Public School Code

of 1949.

(3) No eligibility has an entitlement or a right to

financial assistance under this act.

Section 6. Types of grants.

(a) General rule.--Partnerships may apply for a planning

grant or an implementation grant under the program.

(b) Planning grants.--

(1) A planning grant may be issued to eligible entities

that are interested in developing programs but do not have

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comprehensive plans to deliver the programs.

(2) A planning grant under this subsection may not

exceed $50,000.

(3) The department shall develop the application for a

planning grant, which must include:

(i) A statement of objectives.

(ii) A statement or demonstration of need.

(iii) An overview of the planning process.

(iv) The entities engaged in the process.

(v) A proposed planning budget.

(vi) A statement of objectives, including a

statement or demonstration of need.

(1) Planning grants may only be issued to the extent

funding is provided.

(2) No eligible entity may receive more than one

planning grant per year.

(d) Implementation grants.--

(1) An implementation grant from the program may be

issued to eligible school entities.

(2) An implementation grant under this subsection may

not exceed $250,000 annually.

(3) The department shall develop an application which

shall:

(i) Include a description of how the school entity

will define success, monitor progress and make program

improvements.

(ii) Have established a partnership and provided a

copy of a partnership agreement to the department.

(iii) Demonstrate how the partnership will recruit

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aspiring educators or paraprofessionals that are

reflective of the community of the eligible school

entities.

(iv) Have adopted a proposed budget.

Section 7. Independent evaluation.

The board shall contract for an independent evaluation of

program implementation by each partnership and of the impact of

each program, including the extent of student retention in

program enrollment, acceptance as an education major in a four-

year institution of higher education, completion of a bachelor's

degree in education, obtaining employment in a hard-to-staff

teaching position or in a high-need school or similar school and

retention in teaching in a high-need school. The evaluation

shall assess the program's overall effectiveness and shall

identify particular program strategies that are especially

effective and shall cover the five-year period after

implementation of the program.

Section 8. Reports.

The department shall annually compile information regarding

the program, including the independent evaluation under section

7, and share the information on the department's publicly

accessible Internet website as well as with the chairperson of

the Appropriations Committee of the Senate, the chairperson of

the Appropriations Committee of the House of Representatives,

the chairperson of the Education Committee of the Senate and the

chairperson of the Education Committee of the House of

Representatives beginning no later than one year after the

effective date of this section. The report shall include all the

following information:

(1) A description of the types of partnerships created.

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(2) The number of higher education institutions, school

entities and community organizations participating in the

program as members of partnerships.

(3) The number of individuals participating in the

program.

(4) Demographics of individuals participating in the

program.

(5) The dollar amount of grants awarded to each higher

education institution and a summary of the institution's

expenditures on services related to the partnership.

(6) An assessment of the impact of the program.

Section 9. Effective date.

This act shall take effect in 90 days.

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