,,ii #aaith ,,congress #ast ,session ,s4 #bccj ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,july #ag1 #bjbe ,mr4 ,markey 7for himself1 ,mrs4 ,gillibrand1 ,mr4 ,booker1 ,mr4 ,blumenthal1 ,ms4 ,warren1 ,mr4 ,wyden1 ,mr4 ,padilla1 and ,mr4 ,whitehouse7 introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,health1 ,education1 ,labor1 and ,pensions ,a ,,bill ,to direct the ,secretary of ,education to carry out a grant program to support the recruitment and retention of paraprofessionals in public elementary schools1 secondary schools1 and preschool programs1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,preparing ,and ,retaining ,all 7,,para7 ,educators ,act4 #b4 ,grants to support efforts to recruit and retain paraprofessionals in schools 7a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary of ,education shall carry out a program under which the ,secretary makes allotments to ,state educational agencies to assist ,states1 local educational agencies1 and educational service agencies in recruiting and retaining paraprofessionals in public elementary schools1 secondary schools1 and preschool programs4 7b7 ,state-by-,state allocation ,each ,state educational agency that has an application approved by the ,secretary under subsection 7e77#a7 shall be allocated an amount that bears the same relationship to the amount appropriated to carry out this ,act for each fiscal year as the amount received by all local educational agencies in the ,state under part ,a of title ,i of the ,elementary and ,secondary ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #fcaa et seq47 for the previous fiscal year bears to the total amount received under such part for such fiscal year by all local educational agencies in every ,state4 7c7 ,use of funds 7#a7 ,state reservation ,a ,state educational agency that receives an allotment under subsection 7b7 may reserve not more than #e percent of the allotment for administrative activities relating to the grant program under paragraph 7#b7 and to carry out statewide activities to support the recruitment and retention of paraprofessionals in public elementary schools1 secondary schools1 and preschool programs in the ,state4 7#b7 ,subgrants to eligible entities ,from amounts received under subsection 7b7 and not reserved under paragraph 7#a71 a ,state educational agency shall make subgrants to eligible entities1 on a competitive basis1 to support the recruitment and retention of paraprofessionals in public elementary schools1 secondary schools1 and preschool programs1 which may include activities such as-- 7,a7 establishing paraprofessional leader induction and mentoring programs that are evidence-based 7to the extent a ,state determines that such evidence is reasonably available7 and designed to-- 7i7 improve classroom instruction and student learning and achievement1 including through improving school leadership programs2 and 7ii7 increase the retention of paraprofessionals2 7,b7 developing and implementing high-quality professional development programs to recruit and retain paraprofessionals in the elementary schools1 secondary schools1 and preschool programs served by eligible entities2 7,c7 providing paraprofessionals with the skills1 credentials1 or certifications needed to educate all students1 such as-- 7i7 a special education certificate2 7ii7 an ,english learner certificate2 7iii7 an advanced paraeducator certification to support specialized instruction2 and 7iv7 a certification in teaching2 and 7,d7 increasing wages for paraprofessionals or providing bonus pay incentives to retain and recruit paraprofessionals4 7d7 ,priority 7#a7 ,in general ,in making subgrants to eligible entities under subsection 7c77#b71 a ,state educational agency shall give priority to entities-- 7,a7 that serve greater numbers or percentages of children from low-income families2 7,b7 in which all schools served by the entity are designated with a locale code of #da1 #db1 or #dc1 as determined by the ,secretary of ,education2 or 7,c7 in which all schools served by the entity-- 7i7 receive special assistance payments under section #aa7;a77#a77;,f7 of the ,richard ,b4 ,russell ,national ,school ,lunch ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #agei;a7a77#a77;,f772 and 7ii7 have an identified student percentage 7as such term is defined in section #bde4i7;f77#a77;iii7 of title #g1 ,code of ,federal ,regulations 7or any successor regulations77 of not less than the applicable threshold under section #aa7;a77#a77;,f77viii7 of the ,richard ,b4 ,russell ,national ,school ,lunch ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #agei;a7a77#a77;,f77viii774 7#b7 ,low-income family ,for purposes of paragraph 7#a77;,a71 the term low-income family means a family-- 7,a7 in which a child is eligible for the school lunch program under the ,richard ,b4 ,russell ,national ,school ,lunch ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #agea et seq472 7,b7 in which the child is-- 7i7 enrolled in a school that receives special assistance payments under section #aa7;a77#a77;,f7 of the of the ,richard ,b4 ,russell ,national ,school ,lunch ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #agei;a7a77#a77;,f772 and 7ii7 is an identified student 7as defined in section #aa7;a77#a77;,f77i7 of that ,act72 7,c7 receiving assistance under the program of block grants to ,states for temporary assistance for needy families established under part ,a of title ,,iv of the ,social ,security ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #fja et seq472 or 7,d7 in which the child is eligible to receive medical assistance under the ,medicaid program under title ,,xix of the ,social ,security ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #acif et seq474 7e7 ,applications 7#a7 ,state applications 7,a7 ,in general ,to be eligible to receive a grant under subsection 7a71 a ,state educational agency shall submit an application to the ,secretary at such time1 in such manner1 and containing such information as the ,secretary may require4 7,b7 ,required ,assurances ,a ,state educational agency submitting an application under subparagraph 7,a7 shall include in such application an assurance that-- 7i7 in making subgrants under subsection 7c77#b71 the ,state will give priority to eligible entities described in subsection 7d72 and 7ii7 the ,state educational agency will comply with the reporting requirements under subsection 7f74 7#b7 ,eligible entity applications ,to be eligible to receive a subgrant from a ,state educational agency under subsection 7c77#b71 an eligible entity shall submit an application to the ,state educational agency at such time1 in such manner1 and containing such information as the ,state educational agency may require4 7f7 ,implementation and ,evaluation ,on an annual basis1 in each fiscal year for which a ,state educational agency receives a grant under this section1 such agency shall prepare and submit to the ,secretary of ,education a report that includes-- 7#a7 updated average paraprofessional pay baselines for that fiscal year1 disaggregated by the statewide average and the average within the schools served by each eligible entity in the ,state2 7#b7 a description of how the ,state and eligible entities in the ,state increased the average wages for paraprofessional baselines in a manner consistent with the statewide annual goals for the corresponding fiscal year2 7#c7 updated data on the number of paraprofessionals employed by eligible entities in the ,state-- 7,a7 who earn less than the average wage for paraprofessionals in the ,state2 and 7,b7 who earn less than the average wage for paraprofessionals employed by the eligible entity concerned2 7#d7 identification of any eligible entity that used a subgrant under subsection 7c77#b7 to increase the number of paraprofessionals employed in the schools and preschools served by such entity2 7#e7 a description of the actions the ,state educational agency will take in the next fiscal year to support eligible entities experiencing a shortage of paraprofessionals2 and 7#f7 a description of any professional development activities used by eligible entities to recruit and retain paraprofessionals4 7g7 ,rules of ,construction for ,collective ,bargaining 7#a7 ,in general ,subject to paragraph 7#b71 nothing in this section shall be construed to alter or otherwise affect the rights1 remedies1 and procedures afforded to school employees or employees of an eligible entity 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 employers and their employees4 7#b7 ,compliance ,paragraph 7#a7 shall not be construed to exempt a ,state1 eligible entity1 or school from complying with this section or from negotiating in compliance with ,state labor laws to comply with this section4 7h7 ,authorization of appropriations ,there are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this ,act such sums as may be necessary for each of fiscal years #bjbf through #bjcj4 7i7 ,definitions ,in this ,act3 7#a7 ,eligible entity ,the term eligible entity means-- 7,a7 an educational service agency that serves a high-need school or a consortium of high-need schools2 or 7,b7 a local educational agency4 7#b7 ,,esea terms ,the terms educational service agency1 elementary school1 ,english learner1 evidence-based1 local educational agency1 secondary school1 and ,state educational agency have the meanings given those terms in section #haja of the ,elementary and ,secondary ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #ghja74 7#c7 ,high-need school ,the term high-need school has the meaning given that term in section #bbdc7;f77#b7 of the ,elementary and ,secondary ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #ffgc7;f77#b774 7#d7 ,paraprofessional ,the term paraprofessional has the meaning given that term in section #cbja of the ,elementary and ,secondary ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #gjaa74 7#e7 ,preschool program ,the term preschool program means a program that-- 7,a7 provides for the care1 development1 and education of infants1 toddlers1 or young children age #e and under2 7,b7 meets any applicable ,state or local government licensing1 certification1 approval1 and registration requirements2 and 7,c7 is operated by a public or private school that is supported1 sponsored1 supervised1 or administered by an eligible entity4