I 
113TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 5839 
To amend title II of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 
to establish a Federal ‘‘Grow Your Own Teacher’’ program, and for 
other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
DECEMBER 10, 2014 
Mr. ISRAEL introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 
on Education and the Workforce 
A BILL 
To amend title II of the Elementary and Secondary Edu-
cation Act of 1965 to establish a Federal ‘‘Grow Your 
Own Teacher’’ program, 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 ‘‘Grow Your Own 
Teacher Act’’. 
SEC. 2. GROW YOUR OWN TEACHER PROGRAM. 
Title II of the Elementary and Secondary Education 
Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6601 et seq.) is amended by add-
ing at the end the following: 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
04:59 Dec 18, 2014
Jkt 049200
PO 00000
Frm 00001
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H5839.IH
H5839
SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
‘‘PART E—GROW YOUR OWN TEACHER PROGRAM 
‘‘SEC. 2501. GROW YOUR OWN TEACHER PROGRAM. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—From amounts made available to 
carry out this part, the Secretary shall carry out a pro-
gram to make grants, on a competitive basis, to eligible 
entities, to be used by such entities to train and employ 
eligible individuals in hard-to-staff schools or hard-to-staff 
teaching positions in accordance with subsection (c). 
‘‘(b) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
‘‘(1) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘eligible en-
tity’ means a consortium consisting of— 
‘‘(A) a local educational agency that is eli-
gible to receive funds under part A of title I; 
and 
‘‘(B) an institution of higher education 
that offers a program, accredited by the State, 
for preparing individuals to fulfill all the re-
quirements for receiving a teaching certificate 
in the State of the local educational agency de-
scribed in subparagraph (A). 
‘‘(2) ELIGIBLE INDIVIDUAL.—The term ‘eligible 
individual’ means an individual— 
‘‘(A) who— 
‘‘(i) received a high school diploma 
from a local educational agency described 
in paragraph (1)(A); and 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
04:59 Dec 18, 2014
Jkt 049200
PO 00000
Frm 00002
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H5839.IH
H5839
SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
‘‘(ii) is enrolled in a program to re-
ceive a teaching certificate in the State of 
the local educational agency at an institu-
tion of higher education described in para-
graph (1)(B); and 
‘‘(B) is— 
‘‘(i) a high school graduate who grad-
uated not more than 5 years ago; 
‘‘(ii) a parent of a current or former 
student of the local educational agency 
who has a history of working to improve 
the local educational agency; or 
‘‘(iii) an education support profes-
sional in the local educational agency who 
works with students in an instructional 
role. 
‘‘(3) VETERAN TEACHER.—The term ‘veteran 
teacher’ means a teacher who has taught in a local 
educational agency described in paragraph (1)(A) 
for a period of least 15 years. 
‘‘(4) STUDENT
LOANS.—The term ‘student 
loans’ means any loans awarded to an eligible indi-
vidual under title IV of the Higher Education Act of 
1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070 et seq.). 
‘‘(c) USE OF FUNDS.— 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
04:59 Dec 18, 2014
Jkt 049200
PO 00000
Frm 00003
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H5839.IH
H5839
SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—An eligible entity receiving 
a grant under this section shall use such grant funds 
to— 
‘‘(A) conduct a training program for eligi-
ble individuals to be teachers, which shall in-
clude requiring such individuals to observe and 
work with a veteran teacher in a classroom for 
at least one year; 
‘‘(B) employ such individuals in hard-to- 
staff schools and hard-to-staff teaching posi-
tions in the local educational agency of the eli-
gible entity, with priority given to teaching posi-
tions in mathematics, science, special education, 
world languages, and English as a second lan-
guage; and 
‘‘(C) employ such individuals in a manner 
that reduces the divergence between the racial 
diversity of teachers and of students. 
‘‘(2) OTHER AUTHORIZED ACTIVITIES.—An eli-
gible entity receiving a grant under this section may 
use any grant funds that remain after carrying out 
paragraph (1) for the following activities: 
‘‘(A) Helping an eligible individual trained 
under this section to cover the costs of childcare 
and other indirect expenses that are reasonably 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
04:59 Dec 18, 2014
Jkt 049200
PO 00000
Frm 00004
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H5839.IH
H5839
SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
required by the individual to participate in the 
training program. 
‘‘(B) Recruiting and counseling eligible in-
dividuals, and individuals who are likely to be-
come eligible individuals in the near future 
(such as students soon to receive a high school 
diploma from a local educational agency de-
scribed in subsection (b)(1)(A)), to participate 
in the training program. 
‘‘(C) Providing space in the community of 
the eligible entity to carry out the activities de-
scribed in subparagraph (B). 
‘‘(D) Offering the training program under 
this section in community settings and to pro-
vide tutoring services to supplement the train-
ing. 
‘‘(E) Carrying out any other activities con-
sistent with the purposes of this section, as de-
termined by the Secretary. 
‘‘(d) STUDENT LOAN FORGIVENESS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—From the amounts made 
available to carry out this part, the Secretary is au-
thorized to forgive the student loans incurred by an 
eligible individual who has completed a training pro-
gram under this section and has been employed as 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
04:59 Dec 18, 2014
Jkt 049200
PO 00000
Frm 00005
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H5839.IH
H5839
SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
a teacher in a hard-to-staff school or hard-to-staff 
teaching position, in an amount not to exceed the 
total amount of students loans incurred by the indi-
vidual for participating in the program. 
‘‘(2) AMOUNT
OF
LOAN
FORGIVENESS.—The 
Secretary may forgive— 
‘‘(A) in the case of an eligible individual 
who has been employed in a hard-to-staff school 
or hard-to-staff teaching position for at least 5 
years, the total amount of the student loans in-
curred by the student for participating in a 
training program under this section; or 
‘‘(B) in the case of an eligible individual 
who has been employed in a hard-to-staff school 
or hard-to-staff teaching position for less than 
5 years, an amount that is less than the total 
amount of the student loans incurred by the 
student for participating in a training program 
under this section. 
‘‘(e) REGULATIONS.—The Secretary is authorized to 
promulgate any regulations as may be necessary to carry 
out this section. 
‘‘(f) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this sec-
tion shall be construed to alter or otherwise affect the 
rights, remedies, and procedures afforded school or local 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
04:59 Dec 18, 2014
Jkt 049200
PO 00000
Frm 00006
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H5839.IH
H5839
SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
educational agency employees under Federal, State, or 
local laws (including applicable regulations or court or-
ders) or under the terms of collective bargaining agree-
ments, memoranda of understanding, or other agreements 
between such employees and their employers. 
‘‘(g) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 
are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 
such sums as may be necessary.’’. 
Æ 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
04:59 Dec 18, 2014
Jkt 049200
PO 00000
Frm 00007
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6301
E:\BILLS\H5839.IH
H5839
SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS