I 
119TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 5476 
To direct the Secretary of Education to carry out a grant program to 
support the recruitment and retention of paraprofessionals in public 
elementary schools, secondary schools, and preschool programs, and for 
other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
SEPTEMBER 18, 2025 
Mrs. MCBATH (for herself, Mr. FITZPATRICK, Mr. MULLIN, Mr. POCAN, Mr. 
MANNION, Mr. MCGARVEY, Ms. PINGREE, Mr. THANEDAR, Ms. MCCLEL-
LAN, Mrs. MCCLAIN
DELANEY, Ms. TITUS, Mr. KEATING, Mr. 
WHITESIDES, Ms. BALINT, Ms. SIMON, Ms. SALINAS, Ms. CRAIG, Mr. 
MOULTON, Mr. LARSON of Connecticut, Mr. EVANS of Pennsylvania, Mr. 
DAVID SCOTT of Georgia, Ms. CLARKE of New York, Mr. JOHNSON of 
Georgia, Mr. THOMPSON
of Mississippi, Mr. FIELDS, and Mr. 
SORENSEN) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee on Education and Workforce 
A BILL 
To direct the Secretary of Education to carry out a grant 
program to support the recruitment and retention of 
paraprofessionals in public elementary schools, secondary 
schools, and preschool programs, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Preparing And Retain-
ing All (PARA) Educators Act’’. 
SEC. 2. GRANTS TO SUPPORT EFFORTS TO RECRUIT AND 
RETAIN PARAPROFESSIONALS IN SCHOOLS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Education shall 
carry out a program under which the Secretary makes al-
lotments to State educational agencies to assist States, 
local educational agencies, and educational service agen-
cies in recruiting and retaining paraprofessionals in public 
elementary schools, secondary schools, and preschool pro-
grams. 
(b) STATE-BY-STATE
ALLOCATION.—Each State 
educational agency that has an application approved by 
the Secretary under subsection (e)(1) shall be allocated 
an amount that bears the same relationship to the amount 
appropriated to carry out this Act for each fiscal year as 
the amount received by all local educational agencies in 
the State under part A of title I of the Elementary and 
Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6311 et 
seq.) for the previous fiscal year bears to the total amount 
received under such part for such fiscal year by all local 
educational agencies in every State. 
(c) USE OF FUNDS.— 
(1) STATE RESERVATION.—A State educational 
agency that receives an allotment under subsection 
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(b) may reserve not more than 5 percent of the al-
lotment for administrative activities relating to the 
grant program under paragraph (2) and to carry out 
statewide activities to support the recruitment and 
retention of paraprofessionals in public elementary 
schools, secondary schools, and preschool programs 
in the State. 
(2) SUBGRANTS TO ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—From 
amounts received under subsection (b) and not re-
served under paragraph (1), a State educational 
agency shall make subgrants to eligible entities, on 
a competitive basis, to support the recruitment and 
retention of paraprofessionals in public elementary 
schools, secondary schools, and preschool programs, 
which may include activities such as— 
(A) establishing paraprofessional leader in-
duction and mentoring programs that are evi-
dence-based (to the extent a State determines 
that such evidence is reasonably available) and 
designed to— 
(i) improve classroom instruction and 
student learning and achievement, includ-
ing through improving school leadership 
programs; and 
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(ii) increase the retention of para-
professionals; 
(B) developing and implementing high- 
quality professional development programs to 
recruit and retain paraprofessionals in the ele-
mentary schools, secondary schools, and pre-
school programs served by eligible entities; 
(C) providing paraprofessionals with the 
skills, credentials, or certifications needed to 
educate all students, such as— 
(i) a special education certificate; 
(ii) an English learner certificate; 
(iii) an advanced paraeducator certifi-
cation to support specialized instruction; 
and 
(iv) a certification in teaching; and 
(D) increasing wages for paraprofessionals 
or providing bonus pay incentives to retain and 
recruit paraprofessionals. 
(d) PRIORITY.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—In making subgrants to eli-
gible entities under subsection (c)(2), a State edu-
cational agency shall give priority to entities— 
(A) that serve greater numbers or percent-
ages of children from low-income families; 
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(B) in which all schools served by the enti-
ty are designated with a locale code of 41, 42, 
or 43, as determined by the Secretary of Edu-
cation; or 
(C) in which all schools served by the enti-
ty— 
(i) receive special assistance payments 
under section 11(a)(1)(F) of the Richard 
B. Russell National School Lunch Act (42 
U.S.C. 1759a(a)(1)(F)); and 
(ii) have an identified student percent-
age (as such term is defined in section 
245.9(f)(1)(iii) of title 7, Code of Federal 
Regulations (or any successor regulations)) 
of not less than the applicable threshold 
under section 11(a)(1)(F)(viii) of the Rich-
ard B. Russell National School Lunch Act 
(42 U.S.C. 1759a(a)(1)(F)(viii)). 
(2) LOW-INCOME
FAMILY.—For purposes of 
paragraph (1)(A), the term ‘‘low-income family’’ 
means a family— 
(A) in which a child is eligible for the 
school lunch program under the Richard B. 
Russell National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 
1751 et seq.); 
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(B) in which the child is— 
(i) enrolled in a school that receives 
special assistance payments under section 
11(a)(1)(F) of the Richard B. Russell Na-
tional School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 
1759a(a)(1)(F)); and 
(ii) is an identified student (as defined 
in section 11(a)(1)(F)(i) of that Act); 
(C) receiving assistance under the program 
of block grants to States for temporary assist-
ance for needy families established under part 
A of title IV of the Social Security Act (42 
U.S.C. 601 et seq.); or 
(D) in which the child is eligible to receive 
medical assistance under the Medicaid program 
under title XIX of the Social Security Act (42 
U.S.C. 1396 et seq.). 
(e) APPLICATIONS.— 
(1) STATE APPLICATIONS.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—To be eligible to receive 
a grant under subsection (a), a State edu-
cational agency shall submit an application to 
the Secretary at such time, in such manner, 
and containing such information as the Sec-
retary may require. 
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(B) REQUIRED
ASSURANCES.—A State 
educational agency submitting an application 
under subparagraph (A) shall include in such 
application an assurance that— 
(i) in making subgrants under sub-
section (c)(2), the State will give priority 
to eligible entities described in subsection 
(d); and 
(ii) the State educational agency will 
comply with the reporting requirements 
under subsection (f). 
(2) ELIGIBLE
ENTITY
APPLICATIONS.—To be 
eligible to receive a subgrant from a State edu-
cational agency under subsection (c)(2), an eligible 
entity shall submit an application to the State edu-
cational agency at such time, in such manner, and 
containing such information as the State educational 
agency may require. 
(f) IMPLEMENTATION AND EVALUATION.—On an an-
nual basis, in each fiscal year for which a State edu-
cational agency receives a grant under this section, such 
agency shall prepare and submit to the Secretary of Edu-
cation a report that includes— 
(1) updated average paraprofessional pay base-
lines for that fiscal year, disaggregated by the state-
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wide average and the average within the schools 
served by each eligible entity in the State; 
(2) a description of how the State and eligible 
entities in the State increased the average wages for 
paraprofessional baselines in a manner consistent 
with the statewide annual goals for the cor-
responding fiscal year; 
(3) updated data on the number of paraprofes-
sionals employed by eligible entities in the State— 
(A) who earn less than the average wage 
for paraprofessionals in the State; and 
(B) who earn less than the average wage 
for paraprofessionals employed by the eligible 
entity concerned; 
(4) identification of any eligible entity that used 
a subgrant under subsection (c)(2) to increase the 
number of paraprofessionals employed in the schools 
and preschools served by such entity; 
(5) a description of the actions the State edu-
cational agency will take in the next fiscal year to 
support eligible entities experiencing a shortage of 
paraprofessionals; and 
(6) a description of any professional develop-
ment activities used by eligible entities to recruit and 
retain paraprofessionals. 
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(g) RULES
OF CONSTRUCTION
FOR COLLECTIVE 
BARGAINING.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to paragraph (2), 
nothing in this section shall be construed to alter or 
otherwise affect the rights, remedies, and procedures 
afforded to school employees or employees of an eli-
gible entity under Federal, State, or local laws (in-
cluding applicable regulations or court orders) or 
under the terms of collective bargaining agreements, 
memoranda of understanding, or other agreements 
between such employers and their employees. 
(2) COMPLIANCE.—Paragraph (1) shall not be 
construed to exempt a State, eligible entity, or 
school from complying with this section or from ne-
gotiating in compliance with State labor laws to 
comply with this section. 
(h) AUTHORIZATION
OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 
are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act 
such sums as may be necessary for each of fiscal years 
2026 through 2030. 
(i) DEFINITIONS.—In this Act: 
(1) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘‘eligible enti-
ty’’ means— 
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(A) an educational service agency that 
serves a high-need school or a consortium of 
high-need schools; or 
(B) a local educational agency. 
(2) ESEA TERMS.—The terms ‘‘educational 
service agency’’, ‘‘elementary school’’, ‘‘English 
learner’’, ‘‘evidence-based’’, ‘‘local educational agen-
cy’’, ‘‘secondary school’’, and ‘‘State educational 
agency’’ have the meanings given those terms in sec-
tion 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary Edu-
cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801). 
(3) HIGH-NEED SCHOOL.—The term ‘‘high-need 
school’’ has the meaning given that term in section 
2243(f)(2) of the Elementary and Secondary Edu-
cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6673(f)(2)). 
(4) PARAPROFESSIONAL.—The term ‘‘para-
professional’’ has the meaning given that term in 
section 3201 of the Elementary and Secondary Edu-
cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7011). 
(5) PRESCHOOL
PROGRAM.—The term ‘‘pre-
school program’’ means a program that— 
(A) provides for the care, development, and 
education of infants, toddlers, or young children 
age 5 and under; 
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(B) meets any applicable State or local 
government licensing, certification, approval, 
and registration requirements; and 
(C) is operated by a public or private 
school that is supported, sponsored, supervised, 
or administered by an eligible entity. 
Æ 
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