II

106TH CONGRESS

2D SESSION S. 2929

To establish a demonstration project to increase teacher salaries and employee

benefits for teachers who enter into contracts with local educational

agencies to serve as master teachers.

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

JULY 26, 2000

Mrs. FEINSTEIN (for herself, Mr. HOLLINGS, Mr. INOUYE, and Mr. KENNEDY) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred

to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

A BILL

To establish a demonstration project to increase teacher salaries and employee benefits for teachers who enter into

contracts with local educational agencies to serve as master teachers.

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 ‘‘Master Teacher Act

5 of 2000’’.

6 SEC. 2. MASTER TEACHER DEMONSTRATION PROJECT.

7 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section:
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1 (1) LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGENCY.—The term

2 ‘‘local educational agency’’ has the meaning given

3 the term in section 14101 of the Elementary and

4 Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 8801).

5 (2) MASTER TEACHER.—The term ‘‘master

6 teacher’’ means a teacher who—

7 (A) is licensed or credentialed under State

8 law;

9 (B) has been teaching for at least 5 years

10 in a public or private school or institution of

11 higher education;

12 (C) is selected upon application, is judged

13 to be an excellent teacher, and is recommended

14 by administrators and other teachers who are

15 knowledgeable of the individual’s performance;

16 (D) at the time of submission of such ap17 plication, is teaching and based in a public

18 school;

19 (E) assists other teachers in improving in20 structional strategies, improves the skills of

21 other teachers, performs mentoring, develops

22 curriculum, and offers other professional devel23 opment; and

24 (F) enters into a contract with the local

25 educational agency to continue to teach and
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1 serve as a master teacher for at least 5 addi2 tional years.

3 (3) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means

4 the Secretary of Education.

5 (b) ESTABLISHMENT OF DEMONSTRATION

6 PROJECT.—

7 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than July 1, 2001,

8 the Secretary shall conduct a demonstration project

9 under which the Secretary shall award competitive

10 grants to local educational agencies to increase

11 teacher salaries and employee benefits for teachers

12 who enter into contracts with the local educational

13 agencies to serve as master teachers.

14 (2) REQUIREMENTS.—In awarding grants

15 under the demonstration project, the Secretary

16 shall—

17 (A) ensure that grants are awarded under

18 the demonstration project to a diversity of local

19 educational agencies in terms of size of school

20 district, location of school district, ethnic and

21 economic composition of students, and experi22 ence of teachers; and

23 (B) give priority to local educational agen24 cies in school districts that have schools with a
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1 high proportion of economically disadvantaged

2 students.

3 (c) APPLICATIONS.—In order to receive a grant

4 under the demonstration project, a local educational agen5 cy shall submit an application to the Secretary that

6 contains—

7 (1) an assurance that funds received under the

8 grant will be used in accordance with this section;

9 and

10 (2) a detailed description of how the local edu11 cational agency will use the grant funds to pay the

12 salaries and employee benefits for positions des13 ignated by the local educational agency as master

14 teacher positions.

15 (d) MATCHING REQUIREMENT.—The Secretary may

16 not award a grant to a local educational agency under the

17 demonstration project unless the local educational agency

18 agrees that, with respect to costs to be incurred by the

19 agency in carrying out activities for which the grant was

20 awarded, the agency shall provide (directly, through the

21 State, or through a combination thereof) in non-Federal

22 contributions an amount equal to the amount of the grant

23 awarded to the agency.

24 (e) STUDY AND REPORT.—
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1 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than July 1, 2005,

2 the Secretary shall conduct a study and transmit a

3 report to Congress analyzing the results of the dem4 onstration project conducted under this section.

5 (2) CONTENTS OF REPORT.—The report shall

6 include—

7 (A) an analysis of the results of the project

8 on—

9 (i) the recruitment and retention of

10 experienced teachers;

11 (ii) the effect of master teachers on

12 teaching by less experienced teachers;

13 (iii) the impact of mentoring new

14 teachers by master teachers; and

15 (iv) the impact of master teachers on

16 student achievement; and

17 (B) recommendations regarding—

18 (i) continuing or terminating the dem19 onstration project; and

20 (ii) establishing a grant program to

21 expand the project to additional local edu22 cational agencies and school districts.

23 (f) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is

24 authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section,
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1 $50,000,000, for the period of fiscal years 2001 through

2 2005.

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