TRUE EQUITY Act

I 116TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION H. R. 5620 To provide for a Federal partnership to ensure educational equity and quality. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES JANUARY 15, 2020 Mr. TRONE (for himself, Mr. RASKIN, and Mr. SARBANES) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and Labor A BILL To provide for a Federal partnership to ensure educational equity and quality. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Transformational Re- 4 forms and Updates to Ensure Educational Quality and 5 Urgent Investments in Today’s Youth Act of 2020’’ or the 6 ‘‘TRUE EQUITY Act’’. 7 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 8 Congress finds the following: 9 (1) The fate of our Nation and the opportuni- 10 ties it creates for our children and grandchildren to 11 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:39 Jan 21, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5620.IH H5620 jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with BILLS 2 •HR 5620 IH enjoy successful careers and rewarding lives depends 1 on the quality, equal access, and effectiveness of pre- 2 kindergarten through twelfth grade education in 3 every local school district across the country. 4 (2) Our education systems must prepare stu- 5 dents to compete in an interconnected, global econ- 6 omy. 7 (3) Despite the current combinations of Fed- 8 eral, State, and local funding and innovative edu- 9 cational policies, States with historically well re- 10 garded kindergarten through grade 12 education 11 systems may find their students falling behind their 12 peers nationally and internationally. In Maryland, a 13 State with a historically well regarded kindergarten 14 through grade 12 education system, fourth and 15 eighth graders placed in the middle of the pack na- 16 tionally in reading and math scores on the National 17 Assessment of Education Progress. 18 (4) The United States as a whole scored well 19 down the second quartile among students from 72 20 countries on the Programme for International Stu- 21 dent Assessment. 22 (5) Even in States with reading and math 23 scores higher than the national average, there may 24 be significant and persistent racial, ethnic, and in- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:38 Jan 16, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5620.IH H5620 jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with BILLS 3 •HR 5620 IH come disparity gaps between students of color and 1 low-income students compared to their higher in- 2 come and White peers. 3 (6) These same disparities carry into college en- 4 rollment, with fewer students of color and low-in- 5 come students enrolling in college than their higher 6 income and White peers. 7 (7) In order to address these inequities in edu- 8 cation, certain States, including Maryland, have re- 9 searched and proposed bold, transformative Federal, 10 State, and local funding and policy changes to their 11 pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade education 12 systems, with five main policy recommendations 13 under the Maryland Commission on Innovation & 14 Excellence in Education that include the following: 15 (A) Investing in high-quality early child- 16 hood education and care through a significant 17 expansion of full day pre-school, to be free for 18 all low-income three- and four-year-olds, so that 19 all children have the opportunity to begin kin- 20 dergarten ready to learn. 21 (B) Investing in teachers and school lead- 22 ers by elevating the standards and status of the 23 teaching profession, including a performance- 24 based career ladder and salaries comparable to 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:38 Jan 16, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5620.IH H5620 jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with BILLS 4 •HR 5620 IH other fields with similar education require- 1 ments. 2 (C) Creating a world-class instructional 3 system with an internationally benchmarked 4 curriculum that enables most students to 5 achieve ‘‘college and career ready’’ status by 6 10th grade and then pursue pathways that in- 7 clude early college, Advanced Placement 8 courses, or a rigorous technical education lead- 9 ing to industry-recognized credentials and high 10 paying jobs. 11 (D) Providing supports to students that 12 need it the most with broad and sustained sup- 13 port for schools serving high concentrations of 14 poverty, with after school and summer academic 15 programs and student access to needed health 16 and social services. 17 (E) Ensuring excellence for all through an 18 accountability-oversight board that has the au- 19 thority to ensure transformative education sys- 20 tem recommendations are successfully imple- 21 mented and produce the desired improvements 22 in student achievement. 23 SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS. 24 It is the sense of Congress that— 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:38 Jan 16, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5620.IH H5620 jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with BILLS 5 •HR 5620 IH (1) no matter a child’s zip code, they deserve 1 equal access to a quality, public pre-kindergarten 2 through twelfth grade education; 3 (2) no inequities in student achievement, college 4 enrollment, or Federal, State, and local funding 5 should be tolerated; 6 (3) the Federal Government should live up to 7 its original commitment in 1975 under the Individ- 8 uals with Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. 9 1400 et seq.) to provide 40 percent of the cost to 10 educate children with disabilities and assist State 11 educational agencies and local educational agencies 12 in providing a free appropriate public education; and 13 (4) the Federal Government should be an active 14 partner with State educational agencies and local 15 educational agencies that are willing to modify poli- 16 cies and commit additional State and local resources 17 to address education inequities. 18 SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS. 19 In this Act: 20 (1) LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGENCY.—The term 21 ‘‘local educational agency’’ has the meaning given 22 the term in section 8101 of the Elementary and Sec- 23 ondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801). 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:38 Jan 16, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5620.IH H5620 jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with BILLS 6 •HR 5620 IH (2) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 1 the Secretary of Education. 2 (3) STATE EDUCATIONAL AGENCY.—The term 3 ‘‘State educational agency’’ has the meaning given 4 the term in section 8101 of the Elementary and Sec- 5 ondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801). 6 TITLE I—EARLY CHILDHOOD 7 EDUCATION 8 SEC. 101. EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION GRANT PRO- 9 GRAM. 10 (a) AUTHORIZATION.— 11 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall award a 12 single grant, on a competitive basis, to an eligible 13 State to enable the State to carry out the authorized 14 activities described in subsection (c). 15 (2) ELIGIBLE STATE.—In this section, the term 16 ‘‘eligible State’’ means a State— 17 (A) that has established a State Oversight 18 Board as described in section 501; and 19 (B) that commits to educational equity. 20 (3) DURATION; RENEWAL.—The grant awarded 21 under this section shall be for a 2-year duration, and 22 may be renewed by the Secretary for not more than 23 4 additional 2-year periods if the State Oversight 24 Board of the State determines that the State has 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:38 Jan 16, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5620.IH H5620 jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with BILLS 7 •HR 5620 IH met the educational equity goals of the State, as de- 1 scribed in section 501. 2 (4) MAINTENANCE OF EFFORT.—If the Sec- 3 retary does not renew a grant awarded under this 4 section to a State for an additional 2-year period for 5 failure to meet the educational equity goals of the 6 State, the State shall provide, from non-Federal 7 sources, amounts for such 2-year period that are not 8 less than the sum of the grant amount provided by 9 the Secretary and the matching funds provided by 10 the State under subsection (d) for the initial 2-year 11 grant period. 12 (b) APPLICATION.—An eligible State that desires to 13 receive a grant under this section shall submit an applica- 14 tion to the Secretary at such time, in such manner, and 15 accompanied by such information as the Secretary may 16 require, including providing the State’s educational equity 17 goals and the accountability consequences for the State 18 and local educational agencies in the State if the State 19 Oversight Board determines that the State or a local edu- 20 cational agency fails to meet the educational equity goals 21 of the State, including the potential withholding of funds, 22 as described in section 501. 23 (c) AUTHORIZED ACTIVITIES.— 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:38 Jan 16, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5620.IH H5620 jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with BILLS 8 •HR 5620 IH (1) IN GENERAL.—An eligible State that re- 1 ceives a grant under this section shall use the grant 2 funds to carry out activities authorized under the 3 following provisions: 4 (A) Section 619 and part C of the Individ- 5 uals with Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. 6 1419 and 1431 et seq.). 7 (B) Paragraphs (1)(B)(i), (5)(A), and 8 (5)(B) of section 640(a) of the Head Start Act 9 (42 U.S.C. 9835(1)(B)(i), (5)(A), and (5)(B)). 10 (C) Section 9212 of the Every Student 11 Succeeds Act (42 U.S.C. 9831 note). 12 (2) SUBGRANTS.—An eligible State that re- 13 ceives a grant under this section may use the grant 14 funds to award subgrants to local educational agen- 15 cies to carry out the activities described in para- 16 graph (1). 17 (3) COMPLIANCE WITH PROGRAMS.—In using 18 grant funds provided under this section or subgrant 19 funds provided under paragraph (2) to carry out the 20 activities described in paragraph (1), the eligible 21 State or local educational agency shall comply with 22 the requirements of the programs under which such 23 activities are authorized. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:38 Jan 16, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5620.IH H5620 jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with BILLS 9 •HR 5620 IH (d) MATCHING REQUIREMENT.—Each eligible State 1 that receives a grant under this section shall provide, from 2 non-Federal sources, an amount equal to 200 percent of 3 the amount of the grant (which may be provided in cash 4 or in kind) to carry out the activities supported by the 5 grant. 6 (e) SUPPLEMENT, NOT SUPPLANT.—An eligible 7 State shall use Federal funds received under this section 8 only to supplement the funds that would, in the absence 9 of such Federal funds, be made available from State and 10 local sources for activities described in subsection (c), and 11 not to supplant such funds. 12 (f) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 13 are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this sec- 14 tion— 15 (1) $275,000,000 for fiscal year 2020; 16 (2) $288,750,000 for fiscal year 2021; 17 (3) $303,187,500 for fiscal year 2022; 18 (4) $318,346,875 for fiscal year 2023; 19 (5) $334,264,219 for fiscal year 2024; 20 (6) $350,977,430 for fiscal year 2025; 21 (7) $368,526,301 for fiscal year 2026; 22 (8) $386,952,616 for fiscal year 2027; 23 (9) $406,300,247 for fiscal year 2028; and 24 (10) $426,615,259 for fiscal year 2029. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:38 Jan 16, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5620.IH H5620 jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with BILLS 10 •HR 5620 IH TITLE II—HIGH-QUALITY AND DI- 1 VERSE TEACHERS AND LEAD- 2 ERS 3 SEC. 201. HIGH-QUALITY AND DIVERSE TEACHERS AND 4 LEADERS GRANT PROGRAM. 5 (a) AUTHORIZATION.— 6 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall award a 7 single grant, on a competitive basis, to an eligible 8 State to enable the State to carry out the authorized 9 activities described in subsection (c). 10 (2) ELIGIBLE STATE.—In this section, the term 11 ‘‘eligible State’’ means a State— 12 (A) that has established a State Oversight 13 Board as described in section 501; and 14 (B) that commits to educational equity. 15 (3) DURATION; RENEWAL.—The grant awarded 16 under this section shall be for a 2-year duration, and 17 may be renewed by the Secretary for not more than 18 4 additional 2-year periods if the State Oversight 19 Board of the State determines that the State has 20 met the educational equity goals of the State, as de- 21 scribed in section 501. 22 (4) MAINTENANCE OF EFFORT.—If the Sec- 23 retary does not renew a grant awarded under this 24 section to a State for an additional 2-year period for 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:38 Jan 16, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5620.IH H5620 jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with BILLS 11 •HR 5620 IH failure to meet the educational equity goals of the 1 State, the State shall provide, from non-Federal 2 sources, amounts for such 2-year period that are not 3 less than the sum of the grant amount provided by 4 the Secretary and the matching funds provided by 5 the State under subsection (d) for the initial 2-year 6 grant period. 7 (b) APPLICATION.—An eligible State that desires to 8 receive a grant under this section shall submit an applica- 9 tion to the Secretary at such time, in such manner, and 10 accompanied by such information as the Secretary may 11 require, including providing the State’s educational equity 12 goals and the accountability consequences for the State 13 and local educational agencies in the State if the State 14 Oversight Board determines that the State or a local edu- 15 cational agency fails to meet the educational equity goals 16 of the State, including the potential withholding of funds, 17 as described in section 501. 18 (c) AUTHORIZED ACTIVITIES.— 19 (1) IN GENERAL.—An eligible State that re- 20 ceives a grant under this section shall use the grant 21 funds to carry out activities authorized under the 22 following provisions: 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:38 Jan 16, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5620.IH H5620 jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with BILLS 12 •HR 5620 IH (A) Section 2101 of the Elementary and 1 Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 2 6611). 3 (B) Subpart 1 of part B of title II of the 4 Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 5 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6631 et seq.). 6 (C) Sections 2242, 2243, and 2245 of the 7 Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 8 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6672, 6673, and 6675). 9 (D) Section 3131 of the Elementary and 10 Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 11 6861). 12 (E) Subparts 1 and 2 of part D of the In- 13 dividuals with Disabilities Education Act (20 14 U.S.C. 1451 et seq. and 1461 et seq.). 15 (2) SUBGRANTS.—An eligible State that re- 16 ceives a grant under this section may use the grant 17 [Text truncated for display. 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