I 
110TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1372 
To provide grants to recruit new teachers, principals, and other school leaders 
to, and retain and support current and returning teachers, principals, 
and other school leaders employed in, public elementary and public sec-
ondary schools, and to help higher education, in areas impacted by 
Hurricane Katrina or Hurricane Rita, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MARCH 7, 2007 
Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California (for himself, Mr. MELANCON, Mr. JEFFER-
SON, Mr. SCOTT of Virginia, Mr. DAVIS of Illinois, Mrs. MCCARTHY of 
New York, Mr. GRIJALVA, Mr. PAYNE, Ms. SHEA-PORTER, Mr. 
HINOJOSA, Mr. RANGEL, Mr. CUMMINGS, Mr. JINDAL, Mr. TAYLOR, and 
Mr. DAVIS of Alabama) introduced the following bill; which was referred 
to the Committee on Education and Labor 
A BILL 
To provide grants to recruit new teachers, principals, and 
other school leaders to, and retain and support current 
and returning teachers, principals, and other school lead-
ers employed in, public elementary and public secondary 
schools, and to help higher education, in areas impacted 
by Hurricane Katrina or Hurricane Rita, 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 ‘‘Revitalizing New Orle-
ans by Attracting America’s Leaders Act of 2007’’ or the 
‘‘RENEWAAL Act of 2007’’. 
TITLE I—ELEMENTARY AND 
SECONDARY EDUCATION 
SEC. 101. GRANTS TO STATE EDUCATIONAL AGENCIES AF-
FECTED BY HURRICANE KATRINA OR HURRI-
CANE RITA; SUBGRANTS TO LOCAL EDU-
CATIONAL AGENCIES. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Subject to subsection (b) and sec-
tion 102(d), from amounts appropriated under section 
105, the Secretary of Education shall award grants to 
each of the States of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. 
The Secretary shall base allocations for States that submit 
an application under subsection (b)(1) on the number of 
schools in each State that were closed for 60 days or more 
during the period beginning on August 29, 2005, and end-
ing on December 31, 2005, due to Hurricane Katrina or 
Hurricane Rita. 
(b) APPLICATIONS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—For a State to be eligible to 
receive a grant under subsection (a), the State edu-
cational agency for the State shall submit an appli-
cation to the Secretary, at such time as the Sec-
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retary may require, that contains such information 
and assurances as the Secretary may require. 
(2) SPECIFIC
ASSURANCES.—The assurances 
under paragraph (1) shall include an assurance 
that— 
(A) subject to subsection (d), the State 
educational agency will distribute the funds re-
ceived under the grant as subgrants to local 
educational agencies; 
(B) the State educational agency, in con-
sultation with local education agencies, local 
teachers and their union, the State’s board of 
education, and the local organization rep-
resenting charter schools, will establish and im-
plement a plan to strengthen the recruitment, 
retention, professional development, and success 
of teachers and school leaders in schools that 
are served under the grant; and 
(C) funds provided shall be used at schools 
that are— 
(i) open to all eligible students, in-
cluding students with disabilities and 
English language learners; and 
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(ii) in compliance with all applicable 
Federal laws, including civil rights laws, 
and State and local health and safety laws. 
(3) OVERSIGHT.—The Secretary shall, on a 
semi-annual basis— 
(A) review the State educational agencies 
receiving funds under this title to determine 
whether each such agency is in compliance with 
the assurances referred to in paragraph (2); 
and 
(B) submit to the Committee on Education 
and Labor of the House of Representatives and 
the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, 
and Pensions of the Senate a report on the re-
sults of such review, the first of which reports 
shall be made not later than 6 months after the 
date of the enactment of this Act. 
(c) SUBGRANTS
TO LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGEN-
CIES.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to subsection (d), 
from amounts made available to a State educational 
agency under this title, the agency shall make sub-
grants, on a competitive basis, to local educational 
agencies in the State that serve an area with respect 
to which a major disaster was declared under section 
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401 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and 
Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5170) by rea-
son of Hurricane Katrina or Hurricane Rita. Funds 
received under the subgrant shall be used to carry 
out the authorized activities described in sections 
102 and 103. 
(2) APPLICATION.—To be eligible to receive a 
subgrant under this subsection, a local educational 
agency 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 reasonably require. 
(3) TIMING.—Subgrants under this subsection 
shall be made not later than 60 days after the date 
on which the State educational agency first receives 
funds from the Secretary under this title. 
(4) DETERMINATION OF ALLOCATIONS.—In al-
locating funds among local educational agencies 
under this subsection, State educational agencies 
shall give priority to local educational agencies with 
the following: 
(A) The highest percentages of schools 
that are closed as a result of Hurricane Katrina 
or Hurricane Rita, as of the date of the enact-
ment of this Act. 
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(B) The highest percentages of schools 
with a student-teacher ratio of at least 25 to 1. 
(d) MANAGEMENT, ADMINISTRATION, AND EVALUA-
TION.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—A State educational agency 
that distributes funds under this title may reserve 
up to one half of one percent for management, ad-
ministrative, and evaluation purposes. 
(2) CHARTER
SCHOOL
COSTS
INCLUDED.— 
Amounts reserved under paragraph (1) shall include 
all management, administrative, and evaluation costs 
related to charter schools. 
(3) ALLOCATION
TO
OTHER
LOCAL
EDU-
CATIONAL AGENCIES.—Of the amounts reserved by 
a State educational agency under paragraph (1), any 
funds that remain after expenditure for the costs de-
scribed in paragraphs (1) and (2) may be allocated 
by the State educational agency to other local edu-
cational agencies adversely affected by Hurricane 
Katrina or Hurricane Rita. 
(e) EVALUATION.—The Comptroller General of the 
United States shall review the implementation of section 
102 and shall provide the Committee on Education and 
Labor of the House of Representatives and the Committee 
on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate 
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with an analysis of the effectiveness of the implementation 
of such section not later than 1 year after the date of the 
enactment of this Act. 
SEC. 102. ANNUAL BONUSES FOR TEACHERS AND OTHER 
SCHOOL LEADERS. 
(a) ANNUAL BONUSES FOR TEACHERS.—A local edu-
cational agency that receives a subgrant under section 101 
shall use a portion of the subgrant funds specified by the 
Secretary to provide annual pensionable bonuses, in addi-
tion to base salary and benefits, to teachers in each of 
3 consecutive full school years (beginning with the first 
full school year that begins after the date of the enactment 
of this Act), calculated as follows: 
(1) $7,000 per year for all teachers employed 
by the local educational agency during the school 
year in which this Act is enacted, if the teacher com-
mits to continue to work during each of the 3 suc-
ceeding school years in a public elementary or public 
secondary school served by the agency. 
(2) $10,000 per year for all teachers described 
in paragraph (1) who also have a demonstrated 
track record of success in improving student aca-
demic achievement, based on an evaluation from the 
multiple measures of success rating system described 
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in subsection (d), except that such teachers may not 
receive a bonus under paragraph (1). 
(3) $12,500 per year for all teachers described 
in paragraph (1) who also have a demonstrated 
track record of success in improving student aca-
demic achievement, based on an evaluation from the 
multiple measures of success rating system described 
in subsection (d), and who teach a subject for which 
there is a documented teacher shortage, except that 
such teachers may not receive a bonus under para-
graph (1) or (2). 
(b) ANNUAL BONUSES FOR SCHOOL LEADERS.—A 
local educational agency that receives a subgrant under 
section 101 shall use a portion of the subgrant funds spec-
ified by the Secretary to provide annual bonuses to school 
leaders in each of 3 consecutive full school years (begin-
ning with the first full school year that begins after the 
date of the enactment of this Act), calculated as follows: 
(1) $7,000 per year for all school leaders em-
ployed by the local educational agency during the 
school year in which this Act is enacted, if the school 
leader commits to continue to work during each of 
the 3 succeeding school years in a public elementary 
or public secondary school served by the agency. 
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(2) $15,000 per year for all school leaders de-
scribed in paragraph (1) who also are designated by 
the local educational agency as outstanding or have 
a demonstrated track record of success in improving 
student academic achievement on a school-wide basis 
in a low-performing school (as determined through a 
performance-based system that includes analysis of 
academic achievement gains), except that such 
school leaders may not receive a bonus under para-
graph (1). 
(c) SUPPLEMENTS
FOR PERSONNEL RETURNING 
FROM DISPLACEMENT.—In the case of a teacher or school 
leader who was displaced from, or lost employment in, a 
geographic area described in section 101(a) by reason of 
Hurricane Katrina or Hurricane Rita, and who returns 
to such an area following such displacement and is re-
hired, the bonus described in subsection (a) or (b) shall 
be increased by $1,500 in each of the 3 years. 
(d) MULTIPLE MEASURES OF SUCCESS RATING SYS-
TEM.—The Secretary of Education may make a grant to 
a State under this title only if the State educational agen-
cy, in its application under section 101(b), agrees to use 
the following process to develop a multiple measures of 
success rating system: 
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(1) Not later than 60 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the State educational agency, 
in cooperation with local educational agencies, the 
teachers unions, local principals’ organization, local 
parents’ organizations, local business organizations, 
and local charter schools organizations, shall develop 
a plan for such a system. 
(2) If the State educational agency has failed to 
reach an agreement pursuant to paragraph (1) that 
is satisfactory to all consulting entities by such 
deadline, the State educational agency shall imme-
diately notify the Congress of such failure and the 
reasons for it and shall, not later than 30 days after 
such notification, establish and implement a rating 
system that shall be— 
(A) based on strong learning gains for stu-
dents and growth in student achievement; 
(B) based on classroom observation and 
feedback at least 4 times annually; 
(C) conducted by multiple sources, includ-
ing principals and master teachers; and 
(D) evaluated against research-validated 
rubrics that use planning, instructional, and 
learning environment standards to measure 
teaching performance. 
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(e) TIMING OF PAYMENT.—A local educational agen-
cy providing an annual bonus to a teacher or school leader 
under subsection (a) or (b) shall pay the bonus according 
to a schedule that— 
(1) is designed to attract such educators; 
(2) commences payment of the first of such bo-
nuses not later than 60 days after the later of— 
(A) the first day of the first full school 
year that begins after the date of the enactment 
of this Act; and 
(B) the date on which the local educational 
agency first receives funds from the State edu-
cational agency under this title; and 
(3) only completes payment at the end of the 
period of required service. 
(f) GRANT PERIOD.—Funds allocated by the Sec-
retary for use under this section may be expended by a 
State educational agency or local educational agency over 
a 3-year period. 
SEC. 103. RELOCATION COSTS, HOUSING COSTS, EDUCATOR 
RECRUITMENT COSTS, AND PROMOTION OF 
BEST PRACTICES AND CAPACITY-BUILDING. 
(a) RELOCATION COSTS.—A local educational agency 
that receives a subgrant under section 101 shall use a por-
tion of the subgrant funds specified by the Secretary to 
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provide one-time payments of up to $2,500 each to edu-
cators (including teachers, school leaders, school guidance 
counselors, school social workers, school nurses and other 
school-based health personnel, and paraprofessionals) who 
commit to work in a public elementary or public secondary 
school served by the agency to assist such educators with 
costs associated with relocation. In providing such pay-
ments, a local educational agency shall give priority to 
teachers with a prior connection to the State, either 
through previous employment as a teacher in the State 
or graduation from a public or private institution of higher 
education located in the State. 
(b) HOUSING COSTS.—A local educational agency 
that receives a subgrant under section 101 shall use a por-
tion of the subgrant funds specified by the Secretary to 
provide up to 36 monthly payments of— 
(1) $700 each to educators (including teachers, 
school leaders, school guidance counselors, school so-
cial workers, school nurses and other school-based 
health personnel, and paraprofessionals) who commit 
to work in a public elementary or public secondary 
school served by the agency, and who previously re-
sided or worked in the geographical area served by 
the agency, to assist such educators with housing 
costs; and 
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(2) $500 each to all other educators (including 
teachers, school leaders, school guidance counselors, 
school social workers, school nurses and other 
school-based health personnel, and paraprofes-
sionals) who commit to work in a public elementary 
or public secondary school served by the agency, to 
assist such educators with housing costs. 
(c) EDUCATOR RECRUITMENT COSTS.—A local edu-
cational agency that receives a subgrant under section 101 
shall use a portion of the subgrant funds specified by the 
Secretary for the purpose of establishing partnerships with 
non-profit entities that have a demonstrated track record 
in recruiting and retaining outstanding teachers and 
school leaders who commit to teach or lead in schools 
where there is a documented teacher shortage. These enti-
ties shall consult with teachers and the local teachers’ 
union in their work. 
(d) PROMOTING BEST PRACTICES AND CAPACITY- 
BUILDING.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—A local educational agency 
that receives a subgrant under section 101 shall use 
a portion of the subgrant funds specified by the Sec-
retary for the purpose of building the capacity and 
knowledge of principals and teachers and providing 
teachers with paid release time to collaborate with 
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each other, to engage in classroom observation, and 
to participate in professional development. Such paid 
release time shall be used to facilitate the identifica-
tion and replication of best practices from the high-
est-performing and fastest-improving schools, to 
bring in outstanding educators to provide on-site 
professional development and coaching, and to sup-
port the design, adaptation, and implementation of 
high-quality formative assessments aligned to the 
State’s academic standards. 
(2) ADMINISTRATIVE
COSTS.—A local edu-
cational agency receiving a subgrant under section 
101 may use up to 5 percent of the portion of the 
subgrant funds specified by the Secretary under 
paragraph (1) for management and administration 
related to carrying out activities under such para-
graph. 
SEC. 104. DEFINITIONS. 
For purposes of this title: 
(1) The term ‘‘documented teacher shortage’’— 
(A) means a shortage of teachers docu-
mented in the needs assessment conducted 
under section 2122(c) of the Elementary and 
Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
6622(c)) by the local educational agency in-
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volved or some other official demonstration of 
shortage by the local educational agency; and 
(B) may include such a shortage in math, 
science, reading, special education, a foreign 
language, high school core subjects, instruction 
for limited English proficient children, and 
other subjects, as designated by the local edu-
cational agency. 
(2) The term ‘‘elementary school’’ has the 
meaning given such term in section 9101 of the Ele-
mentary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 
U.S.C. 7801). 
(3) The term ‘‘local educational agency’’ has 
the meaning given such term in section 9101 of the 
Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 
(20 U.S.C. 7801) and shall also include the Recov-
ery School District in Louisiana and New Orleans 
Public Schools. 
(4) The term ‘‘public school’’ means any public 
school that is operated or chartered by a State edu-
cational agency or local educational agency. 
(5) The term ‘‘school leader’’ means a school 
principal, assistant principal, principal resident di-
rector, or assistant director. 
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(6) The term ‘‘secondary school’’ has the mean-
ing given such term in section 9101 of the Elemen-
tary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 
U.S.C. 7801). 
(7) The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means the Secretary 
of Education. 
(8) The term ‘‘teacher’’, when used with respect 
to an individual teaching in a State, means that the 
individual has obtained full State certification as a 
teacher or is satisfactorily participating in an alter-
native route to certification program that leads to 
certification within 3 years, except that— 
(A) an individual teaching in a public char-
ter school is included in this definition if the in-
dividual satisfies the requirements set forth in 
the State’s public charter school law with re-
spect to State certification; and 
(B) a special education teacher is included 
in this definition only if fully certified by the 
State. 
SEC. 105. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—There are authorized to be appro-
priated to carry out this title $45,500,000 for fiscal year 
2007, $45,500,000 for fiscal year 2008, and $46,000,000 
for each of fiscal years 2009, 2010, and 2011. 
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