II 

117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 213 

To provide for a Federal partnership to ensure educational equity and quality. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

FEBRUARY 3, 2021 

Mr. CARDIN (for himself and Mr. VAN HOLLEN) introduced the following bill; 

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

A BILL 

To provide for a Federal partnership to ensure educational 

equity and quality. 

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 ‘‘Transformational Re5 forms and Updates to Ensure Educational Quality and 

6 Urgent Investments in Today’s Youth Act of 2021’’ or the 

7 ‘‘TRUE EQUITY Act’’. 

8 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

9 Congress finds the following: 


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1 (1) The fate of our Nation and the opportuni2 ties it creates for our children and grandchildren to 

3 enjoy successful careers and rewarding lives depends 

4 on the quality, equal access, and effectiveness of pre5 kindergarten through twelfth grade education in 

6 every local school district across the country. 

7 (2) Our education systems must prepare stu8 dents to compete in an interconnected, global econ9 omy. 

10 (3) Despite the current combinations of Fed11 eral, State, and local funding and innovative edu12 cational policies, States with historically well re13 garded kindergarten through grade 12 education 

14 systems may find their students falling behind their 

15 peers nationally and internationally. In Maryland, a 

16 State with a historically well regarded kindergarten 

17 through grade 12 education system, fourth and 

18 eighth graders placed in the middle of the pack na19 tionally in reading and math scores on the National 

20 Assessment of Education Progress. 

21 (4) The United States as a whole scored well 

22 down the second quartile among students from 72 

23 countries on the Programme for International Stu24 dent Assessment. 


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1 (5) Even in States with reading and math 

2 scores higher than the national average, there may 

3 be significant and persistent racial, ethnic, and in4 come disparity gaps between students of color and 

5 low-income students compared to their higher in6 come and white peers. 

7 (6) These same disparities carry into college en8 rollment, with fewer students of color and low-in9 come students enrolling in college than their higher 

10 income and white peers. 

11 (7) The novel coronavirus (COVID–19) health 

12 pandemic forced the physical closure of schools na13 tionwide in March 2020, moving students from the 

14 classroom to online learning. The public health ne15 cessity to turn to online learning further exacerbated 

16 the significant and persistent racial, ethnic, and in17 come disparity learning gaps as students struggled 

18 to access educational technology devices and the 

19 internet. 

20 (8) At the start of online learning, Maryland 

21 school districts reported that on average, nearly 25 

22 percent of Maryland students had not logged into 

23 their new online classrooms or picked up paper work 

24 packets, falling out of sight and behind their peers. 


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1 (9) Millions of children are falling further be2 hind as a result of opportunity gaps that fail to pro3 vide students with ready access to individualized in4 struction, healthy meals, mental health counseling 

5 services, and hands on career training programs. 

6 (10) In order to address these inequities in edu7 cation and harm caused by COVID–19, certain 

8 States, including Maryland, have researched and 

9 proposed bold, transformative Federal, State, and 

10 local funding and policy changes to their pre-kinder11 garten through twelfth grade education systems, 

12 with five main policy recommendations under the 

13 Maryland Commission on Innovation & Excellence in 

14 Education that include the following: 

15 (A) Investing in high-quality early child16 hood education and care through a significant 

17 expansion of full day pre-school, to be free for 

18 all low-income three- and four-year-olds, so that 

19 all children have the opportunity to begin kin20 dergarten ready to learn. 

21 (B) Investing in teachers and school lead22 ers by elevating the standards and status of the 

23 teaching profession, including a performance24 based career ladder and salaries comparable to 


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1 other fields with similar education require2 ments. 

3 (C) Creating a world-class instructional 

4 system with an internationally benchmarked 

5 curriculum that enables most students to 

6 achieve ‘‘college and career ready’’ status by 

7 10th grade and then pursue pathways that in8 clude early college, Advanced Placement 

9 courses, or a rigorous technical education lead10 ing to industry-recognized credentials and high 

11 paying jobs. 

12 (D) Providing supports to students that 

13 need it the most with broad and sustained sup14 port for schools serving high concentrations of 

15 poverty, with after school and summer academic 

16 programs and student access to needed health 

17 and social services. 

18 (E) Ensuring excellence for all through an 

19 accountability-oversight board that has the au20 thority to ensure transformative education sys21 tem recommendations are successfully imple22 mented and produce the desired improvements 

23 in student achievement. 

24 SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS. 

25 It is the sense of Congress that— 


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1 (1) no matter a child’s zip code, they deserve 

2 equal access to a quality, public pre-kindergarten 

3 through twelfth grade education; 

4 (2) no inequities in student achievement, college 

5 enrollment, or Federal, State, and local funding 

6 should be tolerated; 

7 (3) the Federal Government should live up to 

8 its original commitment in 1975 under the Individ9 uals with Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. 

10 1400 et seq.) to provide 40 percent of the cost to 

11 educate children with disabilities and assist State 

12 educational agencies and local educational agencies 

13 in providing a free appropriate public education; and 

14 (4) the Federal Government should be an active 

15 partner with State educational agencies and local 

16 educational agencies that are willing to modify poli17 cies and commit additional State and local resources 

18 to address education inequities. 

19 SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS. 

20 In this Act: 

21 (1) LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGENCY.—The term 

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

23 the term in section 8101 of the Elementary and Sec24 ondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801). 


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1 (2) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

2 the Secretary of Education. 

3 (3) STATE EDUCATIONAL AGENCY.—The term 

4 ‘‘State educational agency’’ has the meaning given 

5 the term in section 8101 of the Elementary and Sec6 ondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801). 

7 TITLE I—EARLY CHILDHOOD 

8 EDUCATION 

9 SEC. 101. EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION GRANT PRO10 GRAM. 

11 (a) AUTHORIZATION.— 

12 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall award a 

13 single grant, on a competitive basis, to an eligible 

14 State to enable the State to carry out the authorized 

15 activities described in subsection (c). 

16 (2) ELIGIBLE STATE.—In this section, the term 

17 ‘‘eligible State’’ means a State— 

18 (A) that has established a State Oversight 

19 Board as described in section 501; and 

20 (B) that commits to educational equity. 

21 (3) DURATION; RENEWAL.—The grant awarded 

22 under this section shall be for a 2-year duration, and 

23 may be renewed by the Secretary for not more than 

24 4 additional 2-year periods if the State Oversight 

25 Board of the State determines that the State has 


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1 met the educational equity goals of the State, as de2 scribed in section 501. 

3 (4) MAINTENANCE OF EFFORT.—If the Sec4 retary does not renew a grant awarded under this 

5 section to a State for an additional 2-year period for 

6 failure to meet the educational equity goals of the 

7 State, the State shall provide, from non-Federal 

8 sources, amounts for such 2-year period that are not 

9 less than the sum of the grant amount provided by 

10 the Secretary and the matching funds provided by 

11 the State under subsection (d) for the initial 2-year 

12 grant period. 

13 (b) APPLICATION.—An eligible State that desires to 

14 receive a grant under this section shall submit an applica15 tion to the Secretary at such time, in such manner, and 

16 accompanied by such information as the Secretary may 

17 require, including providing the State’s educational equity 

18 goals and the accountability consequences for the State 

19 and local educational agencies in the State if the State 

20 Oversight Board determines that the State or a local edu21 cational agency fails to meet the educational equity goals 

22 of the State, including the potential withholding of funds, 

23 as described in section 501. 

24 (c) AUTHORIZED ACTIVITIES.— 


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1 (1) IN GENERAL.—An eligible State that re2 ceives a grant under this section shall use the grant 

3 funds to carry out activities authorized under the 

4 following provisions: 

5 (A) Section 619 and part C of the Individ6 uals with Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. 

7 1419 and 1431 et seq.). 

8 (B) Paragraphs (1)(B)(i), (5)(A), and 

9 (5)(B) of section 640(a) of the Head Start Act 

10 (42 U.S.C. 9835(1)(B)(i), (5)(A), and (5)(B)). 

11 (C) Section 9212 of the Every Student 

12 Succeeds Act (42 U.S.C. 9831 note). 

13 (2) SUBGRANTS.—An eligible State that re14 ceives a grant under this section may use the grant 

15 funds to award subgrants to local educational agen16 cies to carry out the activities described in para17 graph (1). 

18 (3) COMPLIANCE WITH PROGRAMS.—In using 

19 grant funds provided under this section or subgrant 

20 funds provided under paragraph (2) to carry out the 

21 activities described in paragraph (1), the eligible 

22 State or local educational agency shall comply with 

23 the requirements of the programs under which such 

24 activities are authorized. 


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1 (d) MATCHING REQUIREMENT.—Each eligible State 

2 that receives a grant under this section shall provide, from 

3 non-Federal sources, an amount equal to 200 percent of 

4 the amount of the grant (which may be provided in cash 

5 or in kind) to carry out the activities supported by the 

6 grant. 

7 (e) SUPPLEMENT, NOT SUPPLANT.—An eligible 

8 State shall use Federal funds received under this section 

9 only to supplement the funds that would, in the absence 

10 of such Federal funds, be made available from State and 

11 local sources for activities described in subsection (c), and 

12 not to supplant such funds. 

13 (f) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

14 are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this sec15 tion— 

16 (1) $275,000,000 for fiscal year 2021; 

17 (2) $288,750,000 for fiscal year 2022; 

18 (3) $303,187,500 for fiscal year 2023; 

19 (4) $318,346,875 for fiscal year 2024; 

20 (5) $334,264,219 for fiscal year 2025; 

21 (6) $350,977,430 for fiscal year 2026; 

22 (7) $368,526,301 for fiscal year 2027; 

23 (8) $386,952,616 for fiscal year 2028; 

24 (9) $406,300,247 for fiscal year 2029; and 

25 (10) $426,615,259 for fiscal year 2030. 


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1 TITLE II—HIGH-QUALITY AND DI2 VERSE TEACHERS AND LEAD3 ERS 

4 SEC. 201. HIGH-QUALITY AND DIVERSE TEACHERS AND 

5 LEADERS GRANT PROGRAM. 

6 (a) AUTHORIZATION.— 

7 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall award a 

8 single grant, on a competitive basis, to an eligible 

9 State to enable the State to carry out the authorized 

10 activities described in subsection (c). 

11 (2) ELIGIBLE STATE.—In this section, the term 

12 ‘‘eligible State’’ means a State— 

13 (A) that has established a State Oversight 

14 Board as described in section 501; and 

15 (B) that commits to educational equity. 

16 (3) DURATION; RENEWAL.—The grant awarded 

17 under this section shall be for a 2-year duration, and 

18 may be renewed by the Secretary for not more than 

19 4 additional 2-year periods if the State Oversight 

20 Board of the State determines that the State has 

21 met the educational equity goals of the State, as de22 scribed in section 501. 

23 (4) MAINTENANCE OF EFFORT.—If the Sec24 retary does not renew a grant awarded under this 

25 section to a State for an additional 2-year period for 


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1 failure to meet the educational equity goals of the 

2 State, the State shall provide, from non-Federal 

3 sources, amounts for such 2-year period that are not 

4 less than the sum of the grant amount provided by 

5 the Secretary and the matching funds provided by 

6 the State under subsection (d) for the initial 2-year 

7 grant period. 

8 (b) APPLICATION.—An eligible State that desires to 

9 receive a grant under this section shall submit an applica10 tion to the Secretary at such time, in such manner, and 

11 accompanied by such information as the Secretary may 

12 require, including providing the State’s educational equity 

13 goals and the accountability consequences for the State 

14 and local educational agencies in the State if the State 

15 Oversight Board determines that the State or a local edu16 cational agency fails to meet the educational equity goals 

17 of the State, including the potential withholding of funds, 

18 as described in section 501. 

19 (c) AUTHORIZED ACTIVITIES.— 

20 (1) IN GENERAL.—An eligible State that re21 ceives a grant under this section shall use the grant 

22 funds to carry out activities authorized under the 

23 following provisions: 


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1 (A) Section 2101 of the Elementary and 

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

3 6611). 

4 (B) Subpart 1 of part B of title II of the 

5 Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 

6 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6631 et seq.). 

7 (C) Sections 2242, 2243, and 2245 of the 

8 Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 

9 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6672, 6673, and 6675). 

10 (D) Section 3131 of the Elementary and 

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

12 6861). 

13 (E) Subparts 1 and 2 of part D of the In14 dividuals with Disabilities Education Act (20 

15 U.S.C. 1451 et seq. and 1461 et seq.). 

16 (2) SUBGRANTS.—An eligible State that re17 ceives a grant under this section may use the grant 

18 funds to award subgrants to local educational agen19 cies to carry out the activities described in para20 graph (1). 

21 (3) COMPLIANCE WITH PROGRAMS.—In using 

22 grant funds provided under this section or subgrant 

23 funds provided under paragraph (2) to carry out the 

24 activities described in paragraph (1), the eligible 

25 State or local educational agency shall comply with 


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1 the requirements of the programs under which such 

2 activities are authorized. 

3 (d) MATCHING REQUIREMENT.—Each eligible State 

4 that receives a grant under this section shall provide, from 

5 non-Federal sources, an amount equal to 200 percent of 

6 the amount of the grant (which may be provided in cash 

7 or in kind) to carry out the activities supported by the 

8 grant. 

9 (e) SUPPLEMENT, NOT SUPPLANT.—An eligible 

10 State shall use Federal funds received under this section 

11 only to supplement the funds that would, in the absence 

12 of such Federal funds, be made available from State and 

13 local sources for activities described in subsection (c), and 

14 not to supplant such funds. 

15 (f) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

16 are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this sec17 tion— 

18 (1) $340,000,000 for fiscal year 2021; 

19 (2) $357,000,000 for fiscal year 2022; 

20 (3) $374,850,000 for fiscal year 2023; 

21 (4) $393,592,500 for fiscal year 2024; 

22 (5) $413,272,125 for fiscal year 2025; 

23 (6) $433,935,731 for fiscal year 2026; 

24 (7) $455,632,518 for fiscal year 2027; 

25 (8) $478,414,144 for fiscal year 2028; 


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1 (9) $502,334,851 for fiscal year 2029; and 

2 (10) $527,451,594 for fiscal year 2030. 

3 TITLE III—COLLEGE AND 

4 CAREER READINESS PATHWAYS 

5 SEC. 301. COLLEGE AND CAREER READINESS PATHWAYS 

6 GRANT PROGRAM. 

7 (a) AUTHORIZATION.— 

8 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall award a 

9 single grant, on a competitive basis, to an eligible 

10 State to enable the State to carry out the authorized 

11 activities described in subsection (c). 

12 (2) ELIGIBLE STATE.—In this section, the term 

13 ‘‘eligible State’’ means a State— 

14 (A) that has established a State Oversight 

15 Board as described in section 501; and 

16 (B) that commits to educational equity. 

17 (3) DURATION; RENEWAL.—The grant awarded 

18 under this section shall be for a 2-year duration, and 

19 may be renewed by the Secretary for not more than 

20 4 additional 2-year periods if the State Oversight 

21 Board of the State determines that the State has 

22 met the educational equity goals of the State, as de23 scribed in section 501. 

24 (4) MAINTENANCE OF EFFORT.—If the Sec25 retary does not renew a grant awarded under this 


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1 section to a State for an additional 2-year period for 

2 failure to meet the educational equity goals of the 

3 State, the State shall provide, from non-Federal 

4 sources, amounts for such 2-year period that are not 

5 less than the sum of the grant amount provided by 

6 the Secretary and the matching funds provided by 

7 the State under subsection (d) for the initial 2-year 

8 grant period. 

9 (b) APPLICATION.—An eligible State that desires to 

10 receive a grant under this section shall submit an applica11 tion to the Secretary at such time, in such manner, and 

12 accompanied by such information as the Secretary may 

13 require, including providing the State’s educational equity 

14 goals and the accountability consequences for the State 

15 and local educational agencies in the State if the State 

16 Oversight Board determines that the State or a local edu17 cational agency fails to meet the educational equity goals 

18 of the State, including the potential withholding of funds, 

19 as described in section 501. 

20 (c) AUTHORIZED ACTIVITIES.— 

21 (1) IN GENERAL.—An eligible State that re22 ceives a grant under this section shall use the grant 

23 funds to carry out activities authorized under the 

24 following provisions: 


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1 (A) Section 135 of the Carl D. Perkins Ca2 reer and Technical Education Act of 2006 (20 

3 U.S.C. 2355). 

4 (B) Subpart 11 of part A of title IV of the 

5 Higher Education Act of 1965, as added by 

6 section 302 of this Act. 

7 (2) SUBGRANTS.—An eligible State that re8 ceives a grant under this section may use the grant 

9 funds to award subgrants to local educational agen10 cies to carry out the activities described in para11 graph (1). 

12 (3) COMPLIANCE WITH PROGRAMS.—In using 

13 grant funds provided under this section or subgrant 

14 funds provided under paragraph (2) to carry out the 

15 activities described in paragraph (1), the eligible 

16 State or local educational agency shall comply with 

17 the requirements of the programs under which such 

18 activities are authorized. 

19 (d) MATCHING REQUIREMENT.—Each eligible State 

20 that receives a grant under this section shall provide, from 

21 non-Federal sources, an amount equal to 200 percent of 

22 the amount of the grant (which may be provided in cash 

23 or in kind) to carry out the activities supported by the 

24 grant. 


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1 (e) SUPPLEMENT, NOT SUPPLANT.—An eligible 

2 State shall use Federal funds received under this section 

3 only to supplement the funds that would, in the absence 

4 of such Federal funds, be made available from State and 

5 local sources for activities described in subsection (c), and 

6 not to supplant such funds. 

7 (f) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

8 are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this sec9 tion— 

10 (1) $50,000,000 for fiscal year 2021; 

11 (2) $52,500,000 for fiscal year 2022; 

12 (3) $55,125,000 for fiscal year 2023; 

13 (4) $57,881,250 for fiscal year 2024; 

14 (5) $60,775,312 for fiscal year 2025; 

15 (6) $63,814,077 for fiscal year 2026; 

16 (7) $67,004,780 for fiscal year 2027; 

17 (8) $70,355,019 for fiscal year 2028; 

18 (9) $73,872,770 for fiscal year 2029; and 

19 (10) $77,566,408 for fiscal year 2030. 

20 SEC. 302. JUMPSTART TO COLLEGE GRANT PROGRAMS. 

21 Part A of title IV of the Higher Education Act of 

22 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070 et seq.) is amended by adding at 

23 the end the following: 


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1 ‘‘Subpart 11—Jumpstart to College 

2 ‘‘SEC. 420T. DEFINITIONS. 

3 ‘‘In this subpart: 

4 ‘‘(1) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘eligible en5 tity’ means an institution of higher education in 

6 partnership with one or more local educational agen7 cies (which may be an educational service agency). 

8 Such partnership may also include other entities 

9 such as nonprofit organizations or businesses, and 

10 schools in juvenile detention centers. 

11 ‘‘(2) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION.— 

12 The term ‘institution of higher education’ has the 

13 meaning given the term in section 101. 

14 ‘‘(3) ESEA TERMS.—The terms ‘dual or con15 current enrollment program’, ‘early college high 

16 school’, ‘educational service agency’, ‘four-year ad17 justed cohort graduation rate’, ‘local educational 

18 agency’, ‘secondary school’, and ‘State’ have mean19 ings given the terms in section 8101 of the Elemen20 tary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. 

21 ‘‘(4) LOW-INCOME STUDENT.—The term ‘low22 income student’ means a student counted under sec23 tion 1124(c) of the Elementary and Secondary Edu24 cation Act of 1965. 

25 ‘‘(5) RECOGNIZED POSTSECONDARY CREDEN26 TIAL.—The term ‘recognized postsecondary credenVerDate Sep 11 2014 18:34 Feb 21, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00019 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S213.IS S213

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1 tial’ has the meaning given the term in section 3 of 

2 the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 

3 U.S.C. 3102). 

4 ‘‘SEC. 420U. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

5 ‘‘To carry out this subpart, there are authorized to 

6 be appropriated $137,500,000 for fiscal year 2021 and 

7 each of the five succeeding fiscal years. 

8 ‘‘SEC. 420V. GRANTS TO STATES. 

9 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall award a sin10 gle grant to a State, on a competitive basis, to assist the 

11 State in supporting or establishing early college high 

12 schools or dual or concurrent enrollment programs. 

13 ‘‘(b) DURATION.—The grant under this section shall 

14 be awarded for a period of 2 years, and may be renewed 

15 by the Secretary for not more than 4 additional 2-year 

16 periods. 

17 ‘‘(c) GRANT AMOUNT.—The Secretary shall ensure 

18 that the amount of the grant under this section is suffi19 cient to enable the grantee to carry out the activities de20 scribed in subsection (f). 

21 ‘‘(d) MATCHING REQUIREMENT.—For each year that 

22 a State receives a grant under this section, the State shall 

23 provide, from non-Federal sources, an amount equal to 50 

24 percent of the amount of the grant received by the State 


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1 for such year to carry out the activities supported by the 

2 grant. 

3 ‘‘(e) SUPPLEMENT, NOT SUPPLANT.—A State shall 

4 use a grant received under this section only to supplement 

5 funds that would, in the absence of such grant, be made 

6 available from other Federal, State, or local sources for 

7 activities supported by the grant, not to supplant such 

8 funds. 

9 ‘‘(f) USES OF FUNDS.— 

10 ‘‘(1) MANDATORY ACTIVITIES.—A State shall 

11 use grant funds received under this section to— 

12 ‘‘(A) support the activities described in its 

13 application under subsection (g); 

14 ‘‘(B) plan and implement a statewide 

15 strategy for expanding access to early college 

16 high schools and dual or concurrent enrollment 

17 programs for students who are underrep18 resented in higher education to raise statewide 

19 rates of secondary school graduation, readiness 

20 for postsecondary education, and completion of 

21 recognized postsecondary credentials, with a 

22 focus on students academically at risk of not 

23 enrolling in or completing postsecondary edu24 cation; 


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1 ‘‘(C) identify any obstacles to such a strat2 egy under State law or policy; 

3 ‘‘(D) provide technical assistance (either 

4 directly or through a knowledgeable inter5 mediary) to early college high schools and other 

6 dual or concurrent enrollment programs, which 

7 may include— 

8 ‘‘(i) brokering relationships and agree9 ments that forge a strong partnership be10 tween elementary and secondary and post11 secondary partners; and 

12 ‘‘(ii) offering statewide training, pro13 fessional development, and peer learning 

14 opportunities for school leaders, instruc15 tors, and counselors or advisors; 

16 ‘‘(E) identify and implement policies that 

17 will improve the effectiveness and ensure the 

18 quality of early college high schools and dual or 

19 concurrent enrollment programs, such as eligi20 bility and access, funding, data and quality as21 surance, governance, accountability, and align22 ment policies; 

23 ‘‘(F) update the State’s requirements for a 

24 student to receive a regular high school diploma 

25 to align with the challenging State academic 


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1 standards and entrance requirements for credit2 bearing coursework as described in subpara3 graphs (A) and (D) of section 1111(b)(1) of the 

4 Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 

5 1965; 

6 ‘‘(G) incorporate indicators regarding stu7 dent access to and completion of early college 

8 high schools and dual or concurrent enrollment 

9 programs into the school quality and student 

10 success indicators included in the State system 

11 of annual meaningful differentiation as de12 scribed under section 1111(c)(4)(B)(v)(I) of the 

13 Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 

14 1965; 

15 ‘‘(H) disseminate best practices for early 

16 college high schools and dual or concurrent en17 rollment programs, which may include best 

18 practices from programs in the State or other 

19 States; 

20 ‘‘(I) facilitate statewide secondary and 

21 postsecondary data collection, research and 

22 evaluation, and reporting to policymakers and 

23 other stakeholders; and 

24 ‘‘(J) conduct outreach programs to ensure 

25 that secondary school students, their families, 


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1 and community members are aware of early col2 lege high schools and dual or concurrent enroll3 ment programs in the State. 

4 ‘‘(2) ALLOWABLE ACTIVITIES.—A State may 

5 use grant funds received under this section to— 

6 ‘‘(A) establish a mechanism to offset the 

7 costs of tuition, fees, standardized testing and 

8 performance assessment costs, and support 

9 services for low-income students, and students 

10 from underrepresented populations enrolled in 

11 early college and high schools or dual or concur12 rent enrollment; 

13 ‘‘(B) establish formal transfer systems 

14 within and across State higher education sys15 tems, including two-year and four-year public 

16 and private institutions, to maximize the trans17 ferability of college courses; 

18 ‘‘(C) provide incentives to school districts 

19 that— 

20 ‘‘(i) assist high school teachers in get21 ting the credentials needed to participate 

22 in early college high school programs and 

23 dual or concurrent enrollment; and 


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1 ‘‘(ii) encourage the use of college in2 structors to teach college courses in high 

3 schools; 

4 ‘‘(D) support initiatives to improve the 

5 quality of early college high school and dual or 

6 concurrent enrollment programs at partici7 pating institutions; and 

8 ‘‘(E) reimburse low-income students to 

9 cover part or all of the costs of an Advanced 

10 Placement or International Baccalaureate ex11 amination. 

12 ‘‘(g) STATE APPLICATIONS.— 

13 ‘‘(1) APPLICATION.—To be eligible to receive a 

14 grant under this section, a State shall submit to the 

15 Secretary an application at such time, in such man16 ner, and containing such information as the Sec17 retary may require. 

18 ‘‘(2) CONTENTS OF APPLICATION.—The appli19 cation under paragraph (1) shall include, at min20 imum, a description of— 

21 ‘‘(A) how the State will carry out the man22 datory State activities described in subsection 

23 (f)(1); 


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1 ‘‘(B) how the State will ensure that any 

2 programs funded with a grant under this sec3 tion are coordinated with programs under— 

4 ‘‘(i) the Carl D. Perkins Career and 

5 Technical Education Act of 2006 (20 

6 U.S.C. 2301 et seq.); 

7 ‘‘(ii) the Workforce Innovation and 

8 Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3101 et seq.); 

9 ‘‘(iii) the Elementary and Secondary 

10 Education Act of 1965; and 

11 ‘‘(iv) the Individuals with Disabilities 

12 Education Act; 

13 ‘‘(C) how the State intends to use grant 

14 funds to address achievement gaps for each cat15 egory of students described in section 

16 1111(b)(2)(B)(xi) of the Elementary and Sec17 ondary Education Act of 1965; 

18 ‘‘(D) how the State will access and lever19 age additional resources necessary to sustain 

20 early college high schools or other dual or con21 current enrollment programs; 

22 ‘‘(E) how the State will identify and elimi23 nate barriers to implementing effective early 

24 college high schools and dual or concurrent en25 rollment programs after the grant expires, inVerDate Sep 11 2014 18:34 Feb 21, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00026 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S213.IS S213

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1 cluding by engaging businesses and nonprofit 

2 organizations; and 

3 ‘‘(F) such other information as the Sec4 retary determines to be appropriate.’’. 

5 TITLE IV—MORE RESOURCES TO 

6 ENSURE ALL STUDENTS ARE 

7 SUCCESSFUL 

8 SEC. 401. STUDENT SUCCESS GRANT PROGRAM. 

9 (a) AUTHORIZATION.— 

10 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall award a 

11 single grant, on a competitive basis, to an eligible 

12 State to enable the State to carry out the authorized 

13 activities described in subsection (c). 

14 (2) ELIGIBLE STATE.—In this section, the term 

15 ‘‘eligible State’’ means a State— 

16 (A) that has established a State Oversight 

17 Board as described in section 501; and 

18 (B) that commits to educational equity. 

19 (3) DURATION; RENEWAL.—The grant awarded 

20 under this section shall be for a 2-year duration, and 

21 may be renewed by the Secretary for not more than 

22 4 additional 2-year periods if the State Oversight 

23 Board of the State determines that the State has 

24 met the educational equity goals of the State, as de25 scribed in section 501. 


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1 (4) MAINTENANCE OF EFFORT.—If the Sec2 retary does not renew a grant awarded under this 

3 section to a State for an additional 2-year period for 

4 failure to meet the educational equity goals of the 

5 State, the State shall provide, from non-Federal 

6 sources, amounts for such 2-year period that are not 

7 less than the sum of the grant amount provided by 

8 the Secretary and the matching funds provided by 

9 the State under subsection (d) for the initial 2-year 

10 grant period. 

11 (b) APPLICATION.—An eligible State that desires to 

12 receive a grant under this section shall submit an applica13 tion to the Secretary at such time, in such manner, and 

14 accompanied by such information as the Secretary may 

15 require, including providing the State’s educational equity 

16 goals and the accountability consequences for the State 

17 and local educational agencies in the State if the State 

18 Oversight Board determines that the State or a local edu19 cational agency fails to meet the educational equity goals 

20 of the State, including the potential withholding of funds, 

21 as described in section 501. 

22 (c) AUTHORIZED ACTIVITIES.— 

23 (1) IN GENERAL.—An eligible State that re24 ceives a grant under this section shall use the grant 


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1 funds to carry out activities authorized under the 

2 following provisions: 

3 (A) Part A of title I of the Elementary and 

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

5 6311 et seq.). 

6 (B) Part C of title I of the Elementary 

7 and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 

8 U.S.C. 6391 et seq.). 

9 (C) Part D of title I of the Elementary 

10 and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 

11 U.S.C. 6421 et seq.). 

12 (D) Part E of title I of the Elementary 

13 and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 

14 U.S.C. 6491 et seq.). 

15 (E) Subparts 2 and 3 of part B of title II 

16 of the Elementary and Secondary Education 

17 Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6641 et seq. and 6661 

18 et seq.). 

19 (F) Subpart 1 of part A of title III of the 

20 Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 

21 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6821 et seq.). 

22 (G) Subpart 1 of part A of title IV of the 

23 Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 

24 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7111 et seq.). 


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1 (H) Part B of title IV of the Elementary 

2 and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 

3 U.S.C. 7171 et seq.). 

4 (I) Part D of title IV of the Elementary 

5 and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 

6 U.S.C. 7231 et seq.). 

7 (J) Sections 4624 and 4625 of the Ele8 mentary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 

9 (20 U.S.C. 7274 and 7275). 

10 (K) Section 4641 of the Elementary and 

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

12 7291 et seq.). 

13 (L) Section 611 of the Individuals with 

14 Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1411). 

15 (2) SUBGRANTS.—An eligible State that re16 ceives a grant under this section may use the grant 

17 funds to award subgrants to local educational agen18 cies to carry out the activities described in para19 graph (1). 

20 (3) COMPLIANCE WITH PROGRAMS.—In using 

21 grant funds provided under this section or subgrant 

22 funds provided under paragraph (2) to carry out the 

23 activities described in paragraph (1), the eligible 

24 State or local educational agency shall comply with 


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1 the requirements of the programs under which such 

2 activities are authorized. 

3 (d) MATCHING REQUIREMENT.—Each eligible State 

4 that receives a grant under this section shall provide, from 

5 non-Federal sources, an amount equal to 200 percent of 

6 the amount of the grant (which may be provided in cash 

7 or in kind) to carry out the activities supported by the 

8 grant. 

9 (e) SUPPLEMENT, NOT SUPPLANT.—An eligible 

10 State shall use Federal funds received under this section 

11 only to supplement the funds that would, in the absence 

12 of such Federal funds, be made available from State and 

13 local sources for activities described in subsection (c), and 

14 not to supplant such funds. 

15 (f) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

16 are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this sec17 tion— 

18 (1) $750,000,000 for fiscal year 2021; 

19 (2) $787,500,000 for fiscal year 2022; 

20 (3) $826,875,000 for fiscal year 2023; 

21 (4) $868,218,750 for fiscal year 2024; 

22 (5) $911,629,688 for fiscal year 2025; 

23 (6) $957,211,172 for fiscal year 2026; 

24 (7) $1,005,071,731 for fiscal year 2027; 

25 (8) $1,055,325,318 for fiscal year 2028; 


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1 (9) $1,108,091,584 for fiscal year 2029; and 

2 (10) $1,163,496,163 for fiscal year 2030. 

3 TITLE V—GOVERNANCE AND 

4 ACCOUNTABILITY 

5 SEC. 501. STATE OVERSIGHT BOARDS. 

6 (a) IN GENERAL.—In order to be eligible to receive 

7 a grant under title I, II, III, or IV, a State shall establish 

8 a State Oversight Board that is independent of the State 

9 educational agency, ensures educational equity in the 

10 State, and holds the State educational agency and local 

11 educational agencies in the State accountable for failure 

12 to meet such educational equity. 

13 (b) AUTHORITY OF STATE OVERSIGHT BOARDS.—A 

14 State Oversight Board established pursuant to this section 

15 shall— 

16 (1) determine implementation plans and guide17 lines for the State educational agency and local edu18 cational agencies in the State to meet the edu19 cational equity goals determined by the State under 

20 subsection (c); 

21 (2) determine whether the State and local edu22 cational agencies in the State have met the edu23 cational equity goals determined by the State; 

24 (3) hold the State and local educational agen25 cies in the State accountable for a failure to meet 


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1 the educational equity goals, pursuant to the ac2 countability consequences described under subsection 

3 (c); and 

4 (4) provide to the Secretary, on an annual 

5 basis, the progress of the State and local educational 

6 agencies in the State towards meeting the edu7 cational equity goals. 

8 (c) AUTHORITY OF STATE.—A State that establishes 

9 a State Oversight Board under this section shall deter10 mine— 

11 (1) the educational equity goals of the State, 

12 that includes a requirement that the State and local 

13 educational agencies in the State maintain a level of 

14 financial support for elementary and secondary edu15 cation that is not less than the level of such support 

16 for fiscal year 2019; and 

17 (2) the accountability consequences for the 

18 State and local educational agencies in the State if 

19 the State Oversight Board determines that the State 

20 or a local educational agency fails to meet the edu21 cational equity goals of the State, including the po22 tential withholding of funds. 

23 (d) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND OVERSIGHT.— 


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1 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary and the Of2 fice for Civil Rights of the Department of Education 

3 shall provide technical assistance— 

4 (A) to States in implementing the edu5 cational equity goals of the State; and 

6 (B) to State Oversight Boards in carrying 

7 out subsection (b), including in determining 

8 whether the State and local educational agen9 cies in the State have met the educational eq10 uity goals determined by the State. 

11 (2) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

12 There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out 

13 this subsection $1,000,000 for each fiscal year. 

14 TITLE VI—STATE FLEXIBILITY 

15 FOR EQUITABLE PER-PUPIL 

16 FUNDING 

17 SEC. 601. STATE FLEXIBILITY FOR EQUITABLE PER-PUPIL 

18 FUNDING. 

19 Section 1501 of the Elementary and Secondary Edu20 cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6491) is amended— 

21 (1) in subsection (a), by inserting ‘‘and certain 

22 State educational agencies on behalf of a State’s 

23 local educational agencies’’ after ‘‘local educational 

24 agencies’’; 

25 (2) in subsection (b)— 


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1 (A) in paragraph (1)(A), by inserting ‘‘and 

2 certain State educational agencies on behalf of 

3 a State’s local educational agencies’’ after 

4 ‘‘local educational agencies’’; and 

5 (B) in paragraph (2), by inserting ‘‘and 

6 certain State educational agencies on behalf of 

7 a State’s local educational agencies’’ after 

8 ‘‘local educational agencies’’; 

9 (3) in subsection (c)— 

10 (A) in paragraph (1), by inserting ‘‘or 1 

11 State educational agency on behalf of the 

12 State’s local educational agencies’’ after ‘‘local 

13 educational agencies’’; 

14 (B) in paragraph (2)— 

15 (i) in the matter preceding subpara16 graph (A), by inserting ‘‘or State edu17 cational agency’’ after ‘‘local educational 

18 agency’’; and 

19 (ii) in subparagraph (A), by inserting 

20 ‘‘or consolidated State’’ after ‘‘local’’; and 

21 (C) in paragraph (3)— 

22 (i) by striking ‘‘any local’’ and insert23 ing ‘‘any’’; and 

24 (ii) by striking ‘‘the local’’ and insert25 ing ‘‘the’’; 


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1 (4) in subsection (d)— 

2 (A) in paragraph (1)— 

3 (i) in the matter preceding subpara4 graph (A)— 

5 (I) by striking ‘‘Each local’’ and 

6 inserting ‘‘Each’’; and 

7 (II) by inserting ‘‘or consolidated 

8 State’’ after ‘‘local’’; 

9 (ii) in subparagraph (A)(ii), by strik10 ing ‘‘local’’; 

11 (iii) in subparagraph (B), by striking 

12 ‘‘local’’; 

13 (iv) in subparagraph (C), by striking 

14 ‘‘local educational’’ and inserting ‘‘edu15 cational’’; 

16 (v) in subparagraph (G), by striking 

17 ‘‘local educational’’ and inserting ‘‘edu18 cational’’; 

19 (vi) in subparagraph (H), by striking 

20 ‘‘local educational’’ and inserting ‘‘edu21 cational’’; 

22 (vii) in subparagraph (I), by striking 

23 ‘‘local educational’’ and inserting ‘‘edu24 cational’’; and 


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1 (viii) in subparagraph (G), by striking 

2 ‘‘local educational’’ and inserting ‘‘edu3 cational’’; and 

4 (B) in paragraph (2)— 

5 (i) in subparagraph (A), by striking 

6 ‘‘local educational’’ each place the term ap7 pears and inserting ‘‘educational’’; 

8 (ii) in subparagraph (B), by striking 

9 ‘‘local educational’’ each place the term ap10 pears and inserting ‘‘educational’’; and 

11 (iii) in subparagraph (C), by striking 

12 ‘‘local educational’’ and inserting ‘‘edu13 cational’’; 

14 (5) in subsection (e), by striking ‘‘local edu15 cational’’ and inserting ‘‘educational’’; 

16 (6) in subsection (f)— 

17 (A) by striking ‘‘local educational’’ and in18 serting ‘‘educational’’; and 

19 (B) by inserting ‘‘or consolidated State’’ 

20 after ‘‘local’’; 

21 (7) in subsection (g), by inserting ‘‘or consoli22 dated State’’ after ‘‘local’’; 

23 (8) in subsection (h)— 

24 (A) by striking ‘‘local educational’’ and in25 serting ‘‘educational’’; and 


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1 (B) by inserting ‘‘or consolidated State’’ 

2 after ‘‘local’’; 

3 (9) in subsection (i), by striking ‘‘local edu4 cational’’ each place the term appears and inserting 

5 ‘‘educational’’; 

6 (10) in subsection (j), by inserting ‘‘or consoli7 dated State’’ after ‘‘local’’; 

8 (11) in subsection (k)— 

9 (A) by striking ‘‘local educational’’ and in10 serting ‘‘educational’’; and 

11 (B) by inserting ‘‘or consolidated State’’ 

12 after ‘‘local’’ each place the term appears; 

13 (12) in subsection (l)— 

14 (A) in paragraph (1)— 

15 (i) by inserting ‘‘or State educational 

16 agency’’ after ‘‘local educational agency’’; 

17 (ii) in subparagraph (D), by striking 

18 ‘‘and’’ after the semicolon; 

19 (iii) in subparagraph (E), by striking 

20 the period at the end and inserting a semi21 colon; and 

22 (iv) by adding at the end the fol23 lowing: 

24 ‘‘(F) title I of the TRUE EQUITY Act; 

25 ‘‘(G) title II of the TRUE EQUITY Act; 


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1 ‘‘(H) title III of the TRUE EQUITY Act; 

2 and 

3 ‘‘(I) title IV of the TRUE EQUITY Act.’’; 

4 and 

5 (B) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘is in the 

6 highest 2 quartiles of schools served by a local 

7 educational agency, based on the percentage of 

8 enrolled students from low-income families’’ and 

9 inserting ‘‘serves students not less than 55 per10 cent of whom are students are eligible for a free 

11 or reduced price lunch under the Richard B. 

12 Russell National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 

13 1751 et seq.)’’; and 

14 (13) by adding at the end the following: 

15 ‘‘(m) FUNDING FLEXIBILITY FOR TRUE EQUITY 

16 ACT FUNDS.— 

17 ‘‘(1) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.—A State edu18 cational agency that submits a consolidated State 

19 flexibility demonstration agreement under this sec20 tion shall provide technical assistance to local edu21 cational agencies in the State that desire to partici22 pate in the program under this section in submitting 

23 applications to enter into local flexibility demonstra24 tion agreements with the Secretary. 


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1 ‘‘(2) DURATION AND RENEWAL.—Notwith2 standing any other provision of this section, the Sec3 retary— 

4 ‘‘(A) is authorized to enter into local flexi5 bility demonstration agreements for not more 

6 than 2 years with local educational agencies 

7 that are selected under subsection (c) and sub8 mit proposed agreements that meet the require9 ments of subsection (d) for flexibility to consoli10 date eligible Federal funds that are described in 

11 subparagraph (F), (G), (H), or (I) of sub12 section (l); and 

13 ‘‘(B) may renew for not more than 4 addi14 tional 2-year terms a local flexibility demonstra15 tion agreement described in subparagraph 

16 (A).’’. 

Æ 


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