,i #aacth ,,congress #ast ,session ,h4 ,r4 #bji ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,january #d1 #bjac ,mr4 ,serrano introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,education and the ,workforce ,a ,,bill ,to authorize the appropriation of funds to be used to recruit1 hire1 and train #ajj1jjj new classroom paraprofessionals in order to improve educational achievement for children4 #a4 ,findings ,the ,congress finds the following3 7#a7 ,paraprofessionals are not substitutes for certified teachers4 7#b7 ,small class size is fundamental to all learning1 but particularly in the early grades4 7#c7 ,putting more adults in the classroom helps to increase the attention paid to each student and to improve discipline4 7#d7 ,expanding the availability of entry-level classroom jobs that include opportunities for training and professional development should encourage more adults to enter teacher training and careers in education4 #b4 ,funds for recruiting1 hiring1 and training paraprofessionals 7a7 ,state allocations ,from the amount appropriated to carry out this ,act for each fiscal year1 the ,secretary of ,education-- 7#a7 shall make available #a percent of such amount to the ,secretary of the ,interior 7on behalf of the ,bureau of ,indian ,affairs7 and the outlying areas for activities under this ,act2 and 7#b7 shall allocate the remainder by providing each ,state the same percentage of that remainder as it received of the funds allocated to ,states under section #cjf7;a77#b7 of the ,departments of ,labor1 ,health and ,human ,services1 and ,education1 and ,related ,agencies ,appropriations ,act1 #bjja1 as enacted by section #a7;a77#a7 of ,public ,law #ajf-eed4 7b7 ,local agency allocations ,each ,state that receives funds under this ,act shall distribute #ajj percent of such funds to local educational agencies1 of which-- 7#a7 #hj percent of such amount shall be allocated to local educational agencies in proportion to the number of children1 aged #e to #ag1 who reside in the school district served by a local educational agency from families with incomes below the poverty line 7as defined by the ,office of ,management and ,budget and revised annually in accordance with section #fgc7b7 of the ,community ,services ,block ,grant ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #iijb7b777 applicable to a family of the size involved for the most recent fiscal year for which satisfactory data are available compared to the number of such individuals who reside in the school districts served by all the local educational agencies in the ,state for that fiscal year2 and 7#b7 #bj percent of such amount shall be allocated to local educational agencies in accordance with the relative enrollments of children1 aged #e to #ag1 in public and private nonprofit elementary and secondary schools within the boundaries of such agencies4 7c7 ,uses of funds 7#a7 ,purpose ,the basic purpose and intent of this ,act is to decrease the ratio of students to personnel in public elementary and secondary school classrooms by assisting local educational agencies in the recruitment1 hiring1 and training of #ajj1jjj new classroom paraprofessionals4 ,each local educational agency that receives funds under this ,act shall use such funds to carry out effective approaches to achieving such ratio reductions in order to improve educational achievement for both regular and special needs children1 with particular consideration given to making such reductions in the early elementary grades4 7#b7 ,recruitment1 hiring1 and training 7,a7 ,in general ,each local educational agency that receives funds under this ,act-- 7i7 may use up to #ajj percent of the funds under this ,act for recruiting 7including through the use of signing bonuses and other financial incentives71 hiring1 and training paraprofessionals to assist teachers1 including teachers employed in bilingual education1 special education1 and migrant education2 and 7ii7 may use up to #be percent of the funds under this ,act-- 7,i7 for providing professional development 7which may include such activities as those described in section #bbaj of the ,elementary and ,secondary ,education ,act of #aife 7as in effect on the day before the date of the enactment of the ,no ,child ,left ,behind ,act of #bjja 7,public ,law #ajg-aaj2 #aae ,stat4 #adbe771 opportunities for paraprofessionals to attend multi-week institutes1 such as those made available during the summer months1 that provide intensive professional development in partnership with local educational agencies1 and initiatives that promote retention and mentoring71 to paraprofessionals1 including paraprofessionals who assist teachers employed in bilingual education1 special education1 and migrant education2 or 7,,ii7 to provide assistance to new and existing paraprofessionals to ensure that such individuals are highly qualified consistent with the requirements of subsections 7c7 and 7d7 of section #aaai of the ,elementary and ,secondary ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #fcai74 7,b7 ,special rule ,in the case of a local educational agency that has already reduced the ratio of students to instructional personnel in grades kindergarten through #c to #ah or less 7or has already reduced such ratio to a ,state or local goal that was in effect on the day before the enactment of the ,departments of ,labor1 ,health and ,human ,services1 and ,education1 and ,related ,agencies ,appropriations ,act1 #bjja 7,public ,law #ajf-eed2 #aad ,stat4 #bgfc71 if that ,state or local educational agency goal is #bj or less7 may use #ajj percent of the funds received under this ,act-- 7i7 to make further student-to-personnel ratio reductions in grades kindergarten through #c2 7ii7 to reduce the student-to-personnel ratio in other grades2 7iii7 to carry out activities to improve paraprofessional quality1 including professional development2 or 7iv7 to assist paraprofessionals to obtain the education necessary to become licensed and certified teachers4 7#c7 ,supplement1 not supplant ,each local educational agency that receives funds under this ,act shall use such funds only to supplement1 and not to supplant1 ,state and local funds that1 in the absence of funds under this ,act1 would otherwise be spent for activities under this ,act4 7#d7 ,limitation ,no funds made available under this ,act may be used to increase the salaries or provide benefits1 other than participation in professional development1 education1 or enrichment programs1 to paraprofessionals who are not hired under this ,act4 7d7 ,reporting 7#a7 ,in general ,each ,state receiving funds under this ,act shall submit to the ,secretary on a biennial basis a report containing data on the use of funds1 the types of services furnished1 and the students served under this ,act4 7#b7 ,reports to parents ,each ,state and local educational agency receiving funds under this ,act shall publicly report to parents on its progress in decreasing the ratio of students to personnel in elementary and secondary school classrooms by recruiting1 hiring1 and training paraprofessionals and on the impact such activities have had1 if any1 on increasing student academic achievement4 7#c7 ,disclosure of qualifications ,each school receiving funds under this ,act shall provide to parents1 upon request1 the qualifications of each member of their child's classroom instructional staff4 7e7 ,administrative costs ,a local educational agency that receives funds under this ,act may use not more than #b percent of such funds for local administrative costs4 7f7 ,application ,each local educational agency that desires to receive funds under this ,act shall include in the application required under section #eacc of the ,elementary and ,secondary ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #gbae;b7 a description of the agency's program to reduce the ratio of students to personnel in elementary and secondary school classrooms by recruiting1 hiring1 and training paraprofessionals4 7g7 ,definitions ,for purposes of this ,act3 7#a7 ,the term paraprofessional means an individual who is employed in a public elementary or secondary school under the supervision of a certified or licensed teacher1 including individuals employed in bilingual education1 special education1 and migrant education4 7#b7 ,the term local educational agency has the meaning given to that term in section #iaja of the ,elementary and ,secondary ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #ghja74 7#c7 ,the term ,secretary means the ,secretary of ,education4 7#d7 ,the term ,state is defined as that term is used in section #cjf7;a77#b7 of the ,departments of ,labor1 ,health and ,human ,services1 and ,education1 and ,related ,agencies ,appropriations ,act1 #bjja1 as enacted by section #a7;a77#a7 of ,public ,law #ajf-eed4 7h7 ,authorization of appropriations ,to carry out this ,act1 there is authorized to be appropriated #a1jjj1jjj1jjj for each of fiscal years #bjad through #bjah4