PRINTER'S NO. 1120
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
SENATE BILL
No.
99
Session of
2021
INTRODUCED BY HUGHES, AUMENT, KANE, FONTANA, COSTA, MUTH,
KEARNEY, COMITTA, SANTARSIERO, STREET, L. WILLIAMS, HAYWOOD
AND BREWSTER, SEPTEMBER 28, 2021
REFERRED TO EDUCATION, SEPTEMBER 28, 2021
AN ACT
Amending the act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), entitled "An
act relating to the public school system, including certain
provisions applicable as well to private and parochial
schools; amending, revising, consolidating and changing the
laws relating thereto," in terms and courses of study,
further providing for agreements with institutions of higher
education; and establishing the Committee on Diversification
of the Education Workforce, the Diversification of the
Education Workforce Account and the Diversification of the
Education Workforce Grant Program.
The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
hereby enacts as follows:
Section 1. Section 1525 of the act of March 10, 1949
(P.L.30, No.14), known as the Public School Code of 1949, is
amended to read:
Section 1525. Agreements with Institutions of Higher
Education.--(a) Notwithstanding any other provision of law to
the contrary, a school district [may] shall enter into an
agreement with [one or more institutions] an institution of
higher education approved to operate in this Commonwealth in
order to allow resident students to attend [such institutions]
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the institution of higher education while the resident students
are enrolled in the school district. [The] A school district may
enter into additional agreements with other institutions of
higher education approved to operate in this Commonwealth in
order to allow resident students to attend the institutions of
higher education while the resident students are enrolled in the
school district.
(b) Any agreement [may] between a school district and an
institution of higher education shall be structured so that:
(1) high school students [may] receive credits [toward
completion of courses at the school district and at
institutions] at or through an institution of higher education
approved to operate in this Commonwealth. The credits received
by a high school student under this section shall be the same
credits offered to a student enrolled at the institution of
higher education;
(2) high school students may also receive credits toward the
completion of courses required for graduation at the school
district;
(3) courses may be offered in-person, online or a
combination of in-person and online; and
(4) a school district may pay for tuition, fees, supplies or
other costs related to a high school student enrolling in
courses at an institution of higher education.
(c) When possible, the courses for which a high school
student receives credits under an agreement entered into under
this section shall be aligned to the graduation requirements of
the high school student's school district, the requirements of a
career and technical education program offered by the high
school student's school or a career pathway offered by the high
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school student's school.
(d) A school district that enters into an agreement under
this section shall weight credits for a high school student in a
manner similar to Advanced Placement Program or International
Baccalaureate Diploma Program courses in the school district's
grading system, including both academic and technical courses.
(e) At least once per school year, a school district shall
provide to the Department of Education the number and form of
agreements the school district has entered into under this
section and the number of high school students participating in
the agreements, including total credits earned. The Department
of Education shall compile the information received under this
subsection and include it in the department's electronic
database or software program and portal established under
section 2005-C(4).
(f) (1) Nothing in this section shall be construed to
supersede or preempt a provision of a collective bargaining
agreement between a school district and an employe organization,
or a right of an employe organization under the provisions of
the act of July 23, 1970 (P.L.563, No.195), known as the "Public
Employe Relations Act."
(2) As used in this subsection, the term "employe
organization" shall have the meaning given to it in section
1101-A.
Section 2. The act is amended by adding an article to read:
ARTICLE XV-K
DIVERSIFICATION OF EDUCATION WORKFORCE
Section 1501-K. Scope.
This article relates to diversification of the Commonwealth's
education workforce.
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Section 1502-K. Definitions.
The following words and phrases when used in this article
shall have the meanings given to them in this section unless the
context clearly indicates otherwise:
"Account." The Diversification of the Education Workforce
Fund established under section 1505-K(a).
"Board." The State Board of Education.
"Committee." The Committee on Diversification of the
Education Workforce established under section 1503-K(a).
"Department." The Department of Education of the
Commonwealth.
"Every Student Succeeds Act." The Every Student Succeeds Act
(Public Law 114-95, 129 Stat. 1802).
"Grant program." The Diversification of the Education
Workforce Program established under section 1506-K.
"School entity." A school district, intermediate unit,
charter school, cyber charter school, area career and technical
school or intermediate unit.
Section 1503-K. Committee on Diversification of the Education
Workforce.
(a) Establishment.--The Committee on Diversification of the
Education Workforce is established within the department.
(b) Duties.--
(1) Within 30 days of the effective date of this
section, the department shall appoint representatives to the
committee. The committee shall, at a minimum, include a
representative from each of the following:
(i) The Pennsylvania School Boards Association.
(ii) The Pennsylvania Association of Career and
Technical Administrators.
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(iii) The Pennsylvania State Education Association.
(iv) The American Federation of Teachers.
(v) The Pennsylvania Association of School
Administrators.
(vi) The Center for Black Educator Development.
(vii) The Pennsylvania Coalition of Public Charter
Schools.
(viii) The Pennsylvania Association of Colleges and
Teacher Educators.
(ix) The Pennsylvania Association of School Business
Officers.
(2) Within 90 days of the appointment of the committee
under paragraph (1), the committee shall, after consultation
and input from career and technical education programs across
this Commonwealth and national sources, provide the
department with a blended competency list and validated and
aligned materials and end-of-program assessments needed to
create a program of study in the education field.
(3) Within 120 days of the date when the committee
provided the required information to the department under
paragraph (2), the department shall develop the necessary
guidelines, standards and materials to implement additional
fields of study in education into a program of study for
career and technical education programs across this
Commonwealth.
Section 1504-K. Program of study.
(a) Development.--The department shall develop, in
accordance with the provisions of the Carl D. Perkins Career and
Technical Education Improvement Act of 2006 (Public Law 88-210,
20 U.S.C. § 2301 et seq.), a program of study specific to
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occupations classified under the classification of program code
that require a postsecondary certificate, an associate degree or
baccalaureate degree.
(b) Requirements.--In the development of the program of
study under subsection (a), the department shall incorporate
elements of secondary and postsecondary education, including
coherent and rigorous content aligned with any nationally
recognized academic standards and relevant career and technical
content in a coordinated, nonduplicative progression of courses
to adequately prepare students to succeed in postsecondary
education.
(c) Credits.--The program of study under subsection (a) may
include the opportunity for secondary education students to earn
postsecondary education credits through articulation agreements
between school districts with participating postsecondary
institutions, which may lead to an industry recognized
credential or certificate at the postsecondary level or an
associate degree or a baccalaureate degree.
(d) Review of program.--The board shall evaluate the
efficacy of the program of study under subsection (a) within one
year of the program first being offered and, at a minimum, every
three years thereafter. The board's evaluation under this
subsection shall include all of the following:
(1) Disaggregated data by Every Student Succeeds Act
subgroups on enrollment and participation in the program of
study under subsection (a).
(2) A description of the evaluation process to measure
the success of the program of study under subsection (a).
Section 1505-K. Diversification of the Education Workforce
Account.
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(a) Establishment.--The Diversification of the Education
Workforce Fund is established as a restricted account in the
General Fund.
(b) Use of funds.--Money in the account is appropriated to
the department on a continuing basis to provide grants in
accordance with section 1506-K. The appropriation shall not
lapse at the end of any fiscal year.
(c) Contributions.--
(1) The State Treasurer may accept gifts, donations,
legacies or any other revenues, including allowable Federal
funds, for deposit into the account.
(2) Any interest that accrues in the account shall
remain in the account.
Section 1506-K. Diversification of the Education Workforce
Grant Program.
(a) Establishment.--The Diversification of the Education
Workforce Grant Program is established within the department as
a competitive grant program for institutions of higher education
to increase the racial and gender diversification of the
education workforce. The department shall award grants under the
grant program in accordance with the eligible uses under
subsection (b) and the guidelines established under subsection
(d).
(b) Eligible uses of funds.--Grants under the program may
only be used for:
(1) Covering tuition, fees, supplies or other costs
relating to high school students enrolled at institutions of
higher education through an agreement between a school
district and an institution of higher education under section
1525.
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(2) Programs designed and proven to increase the racial
and gender diversification of the education workforce.
(c) Application.--The department shall develop an
application for a school entity or an institution of higher
education to apply for funding under this section. The
application shall be posted on the department's publicly
accessible Internet website.
(d) Program guidelines.--The department may establish
guidelines for implementing the grant program under this
section. The guidelines shall be posted on the department's
publicly accessible Internet website.
(e) Evaluation.--The department shall evaluate the
utilization of the grant program money, including an analysis of
the total amount of grants awarded, each institution of higher
education that received a grant and the efficacy of the programs
funded through the grant program, based on disaggregated data.
The department shall conduct the evaluation, at a minimum, every
three years after the establishment of the grant program and
shall post the evaluation on the department's publicly
accessible Internet website.
Section 1507-K. Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
No later than 60 days after the effective date of this
section, the Secretary of Education shall designate an
individual within the department as the Director of Diversity,
Equity and Inclusion. The Director of Diversity, Equity and
Inclusion shall be responsible for creating goals on increasing
the diversity of the education workforce and coordinating the
department's efforts to increase diversification within the
education workforce.
Section 1508-K. Reporting.
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For the purpose of improving data collection and transparency
about the diversity of the education workforce, the department
shall annually collect and post information about all of the
following on the department's publicly accessible Internet
website:
(1) The racial and gender demographics of individuals
enrolled in teacher preparation programs and the racial and
demographics of individuals who completed a teacher
preparation program in this Commonwealth.
(2) The pass rates of educator certification test takers
as delineated by race and gender.
(3) The teaching certificates issued by the department
as delineated by race and gender.
(4) New teacher applicants and hires at each school
entity as delineated by race and gender and by school entity,
school district and State level.
(5) Annual teacher retention rates as delineated by race
and gender and by school entity, school district and State
level.
(6) The racial and gender demographics of individuals
enrolled in a superintendent or principal certification
program.
(7) The racial and gender demographics of individuals
who have completed a superintendent or principal
certification program.
(8) The current school year's professional employees,
temporary professional employees serving as classroom
teachers, principals and nonteaching professional employees
as delineated by race and gender and by school entity, school
district and State level.
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(9) Any other data relating to racial and gender
demographics of the education workforce, if available and
already collected by the school entity, as requested by the
department.
Section 1509-K. Temporary waiver.
(a) Waiver.--Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the
Secretary of Education shall waive the requirement to
satisfactorily complete the assessment of basic skills required
under section 1207.3 and 22 Pa. Code 49.18(c) (relating to
assessment).
(b) Expiration.--The waiver under subsection (a) shall
expire three years after the effective date of this section.
Section 3. The amendment of section 1525 of the act shall
apply to any agreement between a school district and an
institution of higher education entered into or renewed after
the effective date of this section.
Section 4. This act shall take effect immediately.
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