,i #aacth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,h4 ,r4 #ehci ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,december #aj1 #bjad ,mr4 ,israel introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,education and the ,workforce ,a ,,bill ,to amend title ,,ii of the ,elementary and ,secondary ,education ,act of #aife to establish a ,federal ,grow ,your ,own ,teacher program1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,grow ,your ,own ,teacher ,act4 #b4 ,grow ,your ,own ,teacher program ,title ,,ii of the ,elementary and ,secondary ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #ffja et seq47 is amended by adding at the end the following3 ,e ,grow ,your ,own ,teacher ,program #beja4 ,grow ,your ,own ,teacher program 7a7 ,in general ,from amounts made available to carry out this part1 the ,secretary shall carry out a program to make grants1 on a competitive basis1 to eligible entities1 to be used by such entities to train and employ eligible individuals in hard-to-staff schools or hard-to-staff teaching positions in accordance with subsection 7c74 7b7 ,definitions ,in this section3 7#a7 ,eligible entity ,the term eligible entity means a consortium consisting of-- 7,a7 a local educational agency that is eligible to receive funds under part ,a of title ,i2 and 7,b7 an institution of higher education that offers a program1 accredited by the ,state1 for preparing individuals to fulfill all the requirements for receiving a teaching certificate in the ,state of the local educational agency described in subparagraph 7,a74 7#b7 ,eligible individual ,the term eligible individual means an individual-- 7,a7 who-- 7i7 received a high school diploma from a local educational agency described in paragraph 7#a77;,a72 and 7ii7 is enrolled in a program to receive a teaching certificate in the ,state of the local educational agency at an institution of higher education described in paragraph 7#a77;,b72 and 7,b7 is-- 7i7 a high school graduate who graduated not more than #e years ago2 7ii7 a parent of a current or former student of the local educational agency who has a history of working to improve the local educational agency2 or 7iii7 an education support professional in the local educational agency who works with students in an instructional role4 7#c7 ,veteran teacher ,the term veteran teacher means a teacher who has taught in a local educational agency described in paragraph 7#a77;,a7 for a period of least #ae years4 7#d7 ,student loans ,the term student loans means any loans awarded to an eligible individual under title ,,iv of the ,higher ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #ajgj et seq474 7c7 ,use of funds 7#a7 ,in general ,an eligible entity receiving a grant under this section shall use such grant funds to-- 7,a7 conduct a training program for eligible individuals to be teachers1 which shall include requiring such individuals to observe and work with a veteran teacher in a classroom for at least one year2 7,b7 employ such individuals in hard-to-staff schools and hard-to-staff teaching positions in the local educational agency of the eligible entity1 with priority given to teaching positions in mathematics1 science1 special education1 world languages1 and ,english as a second language2 and 7,c7 employ such individuals in a manner that reduces the divergence between the racial diversity of teachers and of students4 7#b7 ,other authorized activities ,an eligible entity receiving a grant under this section may use any grant funds that remain after carrying out paragraph 7#a7 for the following activities3 7,a7 ,helping an eligible individual trained under this section to cover the costs of childcare and other indirect expenses that are reasonably required by the individual to participate in the training program4 7,b7 ,recruiting and counseling eligible individuals1 and individuals who are likely to become eligible individuals in the near future 7such as students soon to receive a high school diploma from a local educational agency described in subsection 7b77#a77;,a771 to participate in the training program4 7,c7 ,providing space in the community of the eligible entity to carry out the activities described in subparagraph 7,b74 7,d7 ,offering the training program under this section in community settings and to provide tutoring services to supplement the training4 7,e7 ,carrying out any other activities consistent with the purposes of this section1 as determined by the ,secretary4 7d7 ,student loan forgiveness 7#a7 ,in general ,from the amounts made available to carry out this part1 the ,secretary is authorized to forgive the student loans incurred by an eligible individual who has completed a training program under this section and has been employed as a teacher in a hard-to-staff school or hard-to-staff teaching position1 in an amount not to exceed the total amount of students loans incurred by the individual for participating in the program4 7#b7 ,amount of loan forgiveness ,the ,secretary may forgive-- 7,a7 in the case of an eligible individual who has been employed in a hard-to-staff school or hard-to-staff teaching position for at least #e years1 the total amount of the student loans incurred by the student for participating in a training program under this section2 or 7,b7 in the case of an eligible individual who has been employed in a hard-to-staff school or hard-to-staff teaching position for less than #e years1 an amount that is less than the total amount of the student loans incurred by the student for participating in a training program under this section4 7e7 ,regulations ,the ,secretary is authorized to promulgate any regulations as may be necessary to carry out this section4 7f7 ,rule of ,construction ,nothing in this section shall be construed to alter or otherwise affect the rights1 remedies1 and procedures afforded school or local educational agency employees under ,federal1 ,state1 or local laws 7including applicable regulations or court orders7 or under the terms of collective bargaining agreements1 memoranda of understanding1 or other agreements between such employees and their employers4 7g7 ,authorization of appropriations ,there are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section such sums as may be necessary4 4