I
107TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 1096
To provide for improved educational opportunities in low-income and rural
schools and districts, and for other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
MARCH 20, 2001
Mr. JOHN (for himself, Mr. GORDON, Mr. BISHOP, Mr. ETHERIDGE, Mr.
HILLEARY, Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi, Mr. HOLDEN, Mr. KIND, Mr.
HINCHEY, Mr. CRAMER, Mrs. CLAYTON, Mr. CLEMENT, Mr. BERRY, Mr.
STENHOLM, Mr. PHELPS, Mr. JEFFERSON, Mr. BOYD, Mr. SHOWS, Mr.
BOUCHER, Mr. TANNER, Mr. BAKER, Mr. STUPAK, Mr. MCINTYRE, Mr.
FROST, and Mr. CHAMBLISS) introduced the following bill; which was re-
ferred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce
A BILL
To provide for improved educational opportunities in low-
income and rural schools and districts, and for other
purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Rural Education De-
velopment Initiative for the 21st Century Act’’.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE.
(a) FINDINGS.—The Congress finds the following:
(1) While there are rural education initiatives
identified at the State and local level, no Federal
education policy focuses on the specific needs of
rural school districts and schools, especially those
that serve poor students.
(2) The National Center for Educational Statis-
tics (NCES) reports that while 46 percent of our
Nation’s public schools serve rural areas, they only
receive 22 percent of the Nation’s education funds
annually.
(3) A critical problem for rural school districts
involves the hiring and retention of qualified admin-
istrators and certified teachers (especially in special
education, science, and mathematics). Consequently,
teachers in rural schools are almost twice as likely
to provide instruction in two or more subjects than
teachers in urban schools. Rural schools also face
other tough challenges, such as shrinking local tax
bases, high transportation costs, aging buildings,
limited course offerings, and limited resources.
(4) Data from the National Assessment of Edu-
cational Progress (NAEP) consistently shows large
gaps between the achievement of students in high-
poverty schools and those in other schools. High-pov-
erty schools face special challenges in preparing
Services Block Grant Act (42 U.S.C. 9902(2)) appli-
cable to a family of the size involved.
(4) The term ‘‘rural area’’ means the area de-
fined by the Secretary using school locale codes 6,
7, and 8.
(5) The term ‘‘school-age population’’ means
the number of students aged 5 through 17.
(6) The term ‘‘school locale code’’ has the
meaning given such term by the Secretary.
(7) The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means the Secretary
of Education.
(8) The term ‘‘specially qualified agency’’
means an eligible local educational agency, located in
a State that does not participate in a program under
this Act in a fiscal year, that may apply directly to
the Secretary for a grant in such year under section
4(a)(3).
SEC. 4. RURAL EDUCATION INITIATIVE AUTHORIZED.
(a) GRANTS TO STATES.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in para-
graph (3), from the amount appropriated under sec-
tion 10 and not reserved under subsection (c) for a
fiscal year, the Secretary shall award grants to State
educational agencies that have applications approved
under section 5 to enable such agencies to award
grants to eligible local educational agencies for local
authorized activities described in subsection (c).
(2) FORMULA.—
(A) IN GENERAL.—Each State educational
agency that receives a grant under this section
shall receive an amount that bears the same re-
lation to the amount of funds appropriated
under section 10 that are not reserved under
subsection (c) for a fiscal year as the number
of students in average daily attendance served
by eligible local education agencies in the State
bears to the number of all such students served
by eligible local education agencies in all States
for that fiscal year.
(B) DATA.—In determining the school-age
population under subparagraph (A) the Sec-
retary shall use the most recent data available
from the Bureau of the Census.
(3) DIRECT AWARDS TO SPECIALLY QUALIFIED
AGENCIES.—If a State educational agency elects not
to participate in the program under this Act or does
not have an application approved under section 5,
the Secretary may award, on a competitive basis, the
amount the State educational agency is eligible to
receive under paragraph (2) directly to specially
qualified agencies in the State.
(b) LOCAL AUTHORIZED ACTIVITIES.—Funds made
available under this Act may be used for—
(1) local educational technology efforts as de-
scribed in section 3134 of the Elementary and Sec-
ondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6844);
(2) professional development activities designed
to prepare teachers who are teaching out of their
primary subject area;
(3) academic enrichment programs described in
section 10204 of the Elementary and Secondary
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 8034);
(4) innovative academic enrichment programs
related to the educational needs of students at-risk
of academic failure, including remedial instruction in
one or more of the core subject areas of English,
mathematics, science, and history; and
(5) activities to recruit and retain highly quali-
fied teachers in special education, mathematics, or
science.
(c) RESERVATION OF FUNDS.—From the amount ap-
propriated under section 10 for a fiscal year, the Secretary
shall reserve 0.5 percent to make awards to elementary
or secondary schools operated or supported by the Bureau
of Indian Affairs to carry out the purpose of this Act.
(d) RELATION
TO OTHER FEDERAL FUNDING.—
Funds received under this Act by a State educational
agency or a specially qualified agency shall not be taken
into consideration in determining the eligibility for, or
amount of, any other Federal funding awarded to such
agency.
SEC. 5. APPLICATIONS.
Each State educational agency or specially qualified
agency desiring a grant under this Act shall submit an
application to the Secretary at such time, in such manner,
and accompanied by such information as the Secretary
may require. Such application shall include specific meas-
urable goals and objectives relating to increased student
academic achievement, decreased student drop-out rates,
or such other factors that the State educational agency
or specially qualified agency may choose to measure.
SEC. 6. STATE DISTRIBUTION OF FUNDS.
(a) AWARD BASIS.—A State educational agency that
receives funds under this Act shall award grants to eligible
local educational agencies or provide assistance to schools
described in subsection (b)(2)—
(1) on a competitive basis; or
(2) according to a formula based on the number
of students served by the eligible local educational
agencies or schools (as appropriate) in the State, as
determined by the State.
SEC. 7. ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS.
A State educational agency or specially qualified
agency that receives funds under this Act may not use
more than 5 percent of the grant funds for State activities
or administrative costs related to the program.
SEC. 8. REPORTS.
(a) STATE EDUCATIONAL AGENCY REPORTS.—
(1) CONTENTS.—Each State educational agen-
cy that receives a grant under this Act shall submit
an annual report to the Secretary describing—
(A) the methods the State educational
agency used to award grants to eligible local
educational agencies under this Act;
(B) how eligible local educational agencies
and schools used funds provided under this Act;
and
(C) the degree to which progress has been
made toward meeting the goals and objectives
described the application submitted under sec-
tion 5.
(2) AVAILABILITY.—The Secretary shall make
available the annual State reports received under
paragraph (1) for dissemination to the Congress, in-
terested parties (including educators, parents, stu-
dents, and advocacy and civil rights organizations),
and the public.
(b) SPECIALLY QUALIFIED AGENCY REPORTS.—
Each specially qualified agency that receives a grant under
this Act shall submit an annual report to the Secretary
describing how such agency used funds received under this
Act to coordinate with other Federal, State, and local pro-
grams.
(c) REPORT
BY SECRETARY
TO CONGRESS.—The
Secretary shall prepare and submit to Congress an annual
report which shall describe—
(1) the methods the State educational agency
used to award grants to eligible local educational
agencies and to provide assistance to schools under
this Act;
(2) how eligible local educational agencies used
funds provided under this Act; and
(3) progress made by State educational agen-
cies and eligible local educational agencies receiving
assistance under this Act in meeting specific, an-
nual, measurable performance goals and objectives