S. 2029 — Introduced in Senate

II 113th CONGRESS 2d Session S. 2029 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES February 12, 2014Mr. Kirk (for himself and Mr. Booker) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions A BILL To use amounts provided for the Fund for the Improvement of Education to establish a pilot program that supports year-round public elementary schools and secondary schools. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the All Year School Study Act. 2. Year-round school pilot program (a) Program authorized Section 5411 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7243) is amended— (1) in subsection (b)— (A) by redesignating paragraph (9) as paragraph (10); and (B) by inserting after paragraph (8) the following: (9) Activities to establish or expand programs providing year-round education at public elementary schools or secondary schools that— (A) focus on raising student achievement, using research- and evidence-based practices; and (B) may include increasing the salaries of teachers who agree to work in the year-round education programs by an amount not to exceed 100 percent. ; and (2) by adding at the end the following: (e) Pilot program for year-Round school activities (1) In general From the amounts described in paragraph (2), the Secretary shall carry out a multi-year pilot program that awards 4 grants, to eligible entities described in paragraph (3), to carry out the activities described in subsection (b)(9). (2) Funding limit for the pilot program (A) In general The Secretary shall use, from the amounts provided under section 5401 for fiscal years 2015 through 2018 for this subpart, a total of $4,000,000 to carry out the pilot program described in paragraph (1), subject to subparagraph (B). (B) Reservation The Secretary shall reserve 5 percent of the total amount of funds made available under subparagraph (A) to carry out the independent evaluation described in paragraph (5). (3) Eligible entities Entities described in subsection (a), except for institutions of higher education or private entities, shall be eligible for grants under this subsection. (4) Award basis In awarding grants under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall— (A) give a priority to eligible entities that— (i) propose to use grant funds to carry out year-round education activities that emphasize science, technology, engineering, and mathematics; and (ii) target the year-round education activities to be carried out under the grant to— (I) areas with large populations, or high concentrations, of low-income individuals; and (II) low-performing schools; and (B) ensure an equitable distribution of such grants across diverse geographic areas. (5) Independent evaluation The Secretary shall enter into a contract with an entity to— (A) provide an independent evaluation of the effectiveness of the pilot program carried out under this subsection; and (B) prepare and submit a report to the Secretary and Congress, by not later than 180 days after the conclusion of the pilot program under this subsection, that summarizes the results of the evaluation. (6) Rule of construction Nothing in this subsection shall be construed to alter or otherwise affect the rights, remedies, and procedures afforded to school or school district employees under Federal, State, or local laws (including applicable regulations, court orders, or requirements that school districts negotiate, or meet and confer, in good faith) or under the terms of collective bargaining agreements, memoranda of understanding, or other agreements between such employers and their employees. .