II 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 579 

To provide grants to eligible local educational agencies to help public schools 

reduce class size in the early elementary grades, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

FEBRUARY 27, 2019 

Mr. MERKLEY (for himself, Mr. BENNET, Mrs. GILLIBRAND, Ms. HARRIS, Mr. 

BLUMENTHAL, and Ms. WARREN) introduced the following bill; which 

was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, 

Labor, and Pensions 

A BILL 

To provide grants to eligible local educational agencies to 

help public schools reduce class size in the early elementary grades, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Smaller Class Sizes 

5 for Students and Educators Act of 2019’’. 

6 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 

7 In this Act: 

8 (1) ESEA TERMS.—The terms ‘‘elementary 

9 school’’, ‘‘local educational agency’’, and ‘‘poverty 


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1 line’’ have the meanings given the terms in section 

2 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education 

3 Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801). 

4 (2) EARLY ELEMENTARY GRADES.—The term 

5 ‘‘early elementary grades’’ means kindergarten 

6 through grade 3. 

7 (3) ELIGIBLE LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGENCY.— 

8 The term ‘‘eligible local educational agency’’ means 

9 a local educational agency— 

10 (A) for a school district in which 75 per11 cent or more of the population have incomes 

12 below the poverty line; and 

13 (B) that is within a State, as such term is 

14 defined in section 8101 of the Elementary and 

15 Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 

16 7801). 

17 (4) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

18 the Secretary of Education. 

19 (5) TARGETED SCHOOL.—The term ‘‘targeted 

20 school’’ means a public elementary school in which 

21 not less than 75 percent of the students attending 

22 the elementary school are from families with incomes 

23 below the poverty line. 


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1 SEC. 3. REDUCING CLASS SIZE IN KINDERGARTEN 

2 THROUGH GRADE 3 CLASSROOMS. 

3 (a) PROGRAM AUTHORIZED.— 

4 (1) IN GENERAL.—From amounts made avail5 able under subsection (g), the Secretary shall award 

6 grants, on a competitive basis, to eligible local edu7 cational agencies to enable the eligible local edu8 cational agencies to reduce class sizes in the early el9 ementary grades. 

10 (2) DURATION OF GRANT.—A grant awarded 

11 under this section shall be for a period of 5 years. 

12 (b) APPLICATION.— 

13 (1) IN GENERAL.—An eligible local educational 

14 agency that desires a grant under this section shall 

15 submit an application to the Secretary at such time, 

16 in such manner, and containing such information as 

17 the Secretary may require. 

18 (2) CONTENTS.—The application required 

19 under paragraph (1) shall include an evidence-based 

20 plan to lower class sizes in the early elementary 

21 grades that includes the following: 

22 (A) A description of— 

23 (i) how the eligible local educational 

24 agency will reduce the class size for early 

25 elementary grade classes in the targeted 

26 schools served by the eligible local eduVerDate Sep 11 2014 04:29 Mar 05, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S579.IS S579

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1 cational agency to not more than 18 stu2 dents per class, recognizing that class size 

3 maximums must be based on type of stu4 dents, grade level, subject area, physical 

5 facilities, and workload maximums for edu6 cators; and 

7 (ii) the continuum of small class sizes 

8 based on grade level the eligible local edu9 cational agency will provide for students in 

10 the early elementary grades in targeted 

11 schools. 

12 (B) A description of how the eligible local 

13 educational agency will recruit, hire, and retain 

14 individuals, including individuals from popu15 lations underrepresented in the teaching profes16 sion, as teachers for the early elementary 

17 grades. 

18 (C) A description of how the eligible local 

19 educational agency will provide additional pro20 fessional development and training for teachers 

21 hired for class size reduction. 

22 (D) A description of how the eligible local 

23 educational agency will provide time for collabo24 ration between teachers at the targeted schools 

25 for activities such as analyzing student work, 


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1 instruction and assessment planning, or cur2 riculum and instruction-specific professional de3 velopment. 

4 (E) A description of how the eligible local 

5 educational agency will ensure that any new 

6 teachers hired using grant funds are certified to 

7 teach in the field of hire, qualified, effective, 

8 and able to teach to State standards, as deter9 mined by the State for purposes of the Elemen10 tary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 

11 U.S.C. 6301 et seq.). 

12 (F) In the case of an eligible local edu13 cational agency that is using funds available 

14 under part A of title II of the Elementary and 

15 Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 

16 6611 et seq.) for class size reduction, informa17 tion regarding such use and the extent to which 

18 the funds are being used to reduce class size in 

19 the early elementary grades in targeted public 

20 schools. 

21 (G) The average class size, by grade, in 

22 the early elementary grades of the public 

23 schools served by the eligible local educational 

24 agency at the time the application is submitted 

25 and during the prior 2 academic years. 


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1 (H) A description of how the eligible local 

2 educational agency will determine or define 

3 class size. 

4 (c) AWARD BASIS.—In awarding grants under this 

5 section, the Secretary shall give priority to eligible local 

6 educational agencies with the greatest number of students 

7 from families with incomes below the poverty line. 

8 (d) USE OF FUNDS.— 

9 (1) ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES.—An eligible 

10 local educational agency receiving a grant under this 

11 section may use not more than 3 percent of the 

12 grant funds for the administrative expenses of the 

13 grant. 

14 (2) REDUCING CLASS SIZE.— 

15 (A) IN GENERAL.—An eligible local edu16 cational agency shall use not less than 97 per17 cent of the grant funds to reduce class sizes in 

18 the early elementary grades at targeted schools 

19 by— 

20 (i) recruiting, training, and hiring 

21 qualified teachers, both general education 

22 teachers and teachers of special-needs chil23 dren, for the early elementary grades at 

24 targeted schools; 


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1 (ii) in the case of an eligible local edu2 cational agency for which all targeted 

3 schools have class sizes at or less than the 

4 levels established by the local educational 

5 agency in the plan submitted under sub6 section (b)(2), obtaining additional space, 

7 or renovating school buildings, to provide 

8 more classroom space, except that not 

9 more than 15 percent of the funds pro10 vided under the grant may be used for this 

11 purpose; and 

12 (iii) in the case of an eligible local 

13 educational agency for which all targeted 

14 schools have class sizes at or less than the 

15 levels established by the local educational 

16 agency in the plan submitted under sub17 section (b)(2), providing professional devel18 opment for teachers of the early elemen19 tary grades at targeted schools, except that 

20 not more than 15 percent of the funds pro21 vided under the grant may be used for this 

22 purpose. 

23 (B) HIGHEST NEED.—In carrying out ac24 tivities under the grant, the eligible local edu25 cational agency shall first prioritize targeted 


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1 schools that serve the highest percentage of stu2 dents from families with incomes below the pov3 erty line and then prioritize schools with the 

4 highest average class sizes in the early elemen5 tary grades. 

6 (e) REPORTING.— 

7 (1) ANNUAL REPORTS BY ELIGIBLE LOCAL

8 EDUCATIONAL AGENCIES.—Each eligible local edu9 cational agency receiving a grant under this section 

10 shall prepare and submit to the Secretary an annual 

11 report that includes an evaluation of the activities 

12 carried out under grant, including an evaluation 

13 of— 

14 (A) the progress of the eligible local edu15 cational agency in reducing class size in the 

16 early elementary grades at the targeted schools 

17 served by the local educational agency; 

18 (B) student academic achievement, which 

19 may include locally developed assessments, in 

20 the early elementary grades of the targeted 

21 schools receiving support through the local edu22 cational agency under the grant where pre- and 

23 post-assessment data is available; 


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1 (C) a climate study of teachers in such tar2 geted schools that addresses working conditions, 

3 job satisfaction, and teacher stress; 

4 (D) teacher qualifications for newly hired 

5 teachers in such targeted schools for class size 

6 reduction; 

7 (E) targeted professional development and 

8 training provided to newly hired teachers in tar9 geted schools for class size reduction; 

10 (F) the time added to be used for teachers 

11 to collaborate in targeted schools; 

12 (G) teacher retention and turnover rates 

13 pre- and post-class size reduction efforts; and 

14 (H) a description of rates of student dis15 cipline problems and in chronic student absen16 teeism. 

17 (2) ANNUAL REPORTS BY THE SECRETARY.— 

18 By not later than 30 days after the date by which 

19 the reports under paragraph (1) are first due, and 

20 annually thereafter, the Secretary shall prepare and 

21 submit a report to the Committee on Health, Edu22 cation, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate and the 

23 Committee on Education and Labor of the House of 

24 Representatives regarding the grants awarded under 

25 this section. 


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1 (f) SUPPLEMENT, NOT SUPPLANT.—A local edu2 cational agency receiving funds under this section shall 

3 use such funds to supplement, and not supplant, any other 

4 funds available to the local educational agency for the pur5 poses of reducing class size in the early elementary grades. 

6 (g) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

7 are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 

8 $2,000,000,000 for the first fiscal year and such sums as 

9 are necessary for each succeeding fiscal year. 

Æ 


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