GROW SISPS Act
Bill: H.R.7219 | Sponsor: Rep. Newman, Marie (D-IL)
Policy area: Education

Summary:
Growing, Recruiting, and Obtaining Workers in Specialized Instructional Support Personnel Services Act or the GROW SISPS Act
This bill requires the Department of Education to award competitive grants to eligible partnerships (e.g., partnerships between institutions of higher education, local educational agencies, and organizations that provide credentialing for specialized instructional support personnel) for expanding or establishing programs to increase specialized instructional support personnel in schools.

To direct the Secretary of Education to award grants to eligible 
 partnerships to increase access to specialized instructional support 
                   personnel, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Growing, Recruiting, and Obtaining 
Workers in Specialized Instructional Support Personnel Services Act'' 
or the ``GROW SISPS Act''.

SEC. 2. GROW YOUR OWN PROGRAM GRANT.

    (a) Program Authorized.--From the amounts appropriated to carry out 
this Act, the Secretary of Education shall award grants, on a 
competitive basis, to eligible partnerships to expand, or establish and 
implement, A Grow Your Own Program to increase access to specialized 
instructional support personnel.
    (b) Grant Period; Priority.--
            (1) Grant period.--A grant under this section shall be 
        awarded for a 6-year period.
            (2) Priority.--In awarding grants under this Act, the 
        Secretary shall give priority to eligible partnerships in which 
        a high-need local educational agency is in the partnership or 
        that seeks to use the grant to serve a community with a high-
        need local educational agency.
    (c) Application.--To be eligible to receive a grant under this 
section, an eligible partnership shall submit to the Secretary an 
application at such time, in such manner, and containing such 
information as the Secretary may require, which shall include the 
following with respect to the local educational agency, the consortium 
of local educational agencies, or the State educational agency in such 
eligible partnership, and disaggregated by the specific occupation:
            (1) The number of specialized instructional support 
        personnel employed as of the date of application.
            (2) The number of specialized instructional support 
        personnel who are so employed and who have an emergency or 
        temporary credential.
            (3) The ratio of specialized instructional support 
        personnel to students.
    (d) Uses of Funds.--
            (1) In general.--An eligible partnership that receives a 
        grant under this section shall use such grant to expand, or 
        establish and implement, a Grow Your Own Program that meets the 
        requirements of paragraph (2) to increase, through 
        respecialization or re-training--
                    (A) access to specialized instructional support 
                personnel in the schools served by the local 
                educational agency or the consortium of local 
                educational agencies in such eligible partnership, or 
                the local educational agencies under the jurisdiction 
                of the State educational agency in such eligible 
                partnership; or
                    (B) the diversity of specialized instructional 
                support personnel in such schools.
            (2) Grow your own program requirements.--An eligible 
        partnership shall ensure that a Grow Your Own Program expanded, 
        or established and implemented, under paragraph (1) provides 
        the following to each participant of the program:
                    (A) The skills needed to complete a relevant degree 
                or training--
                            (i) to be credentialed by the State 
                        educational agency, or relevant regulatory 
                        body; or
                            (ii) in the case of a profession for which 
                        there is no State credential, to meet the 
                        professional standards as articulated by the 
                        relevant national organization for such 
                        profession.
                    (B) Relevant clinical experience, during the period 
                in which the participant completes and earns the 
                credential provided under the program, that is--
                            (i) connected to the coursework provided 
                        under the program; and
                            (ii) located in elementary schools or 
                        secondary schools in such community, with 
                        priority given to elementary schools or 
                        secondary schools in the eligible partnership.
                    (C) A high-quality mentoring program that--
                            (i) provides mentoring by a fully 
                        credentialed professional of the occupation for 
                        which the participant is pursuing a credential; 
                        and
                            (ii) continues through the period that is 2 
                        years after the participant receives a 
                        credential under the program.
                    (D) Supportive services (which may include housing 
                subsidies, stipends, and tuition assistance and other 
                financial assistance).
                    (E) Academic, counseling, and programmatic 
                supports.
            (3) Additional requirements.--In expanding, or establishing 
        and implementing A Grow Your Own Program under paragraph (1), 
        an eligible partnership shall carry out each of the following:
                    (A) Identify the needs for specialized 
                instructional support personnel in the local 
                educational agency, the consortium of local educational 
                agencies, or the State educational agency in the 
                eligible partnership.
                    (B) Recruit and incentivize individuals to enter, 
                and to pursue training to enter, a specialized 
                instructional support personnel profession that meets 
                the needs identified in subparagraph (A), especially 
                for the purpose of serving in high-need local 
                educational agencies.
    (e) Reporting Requirements.--
            (1) Reports by eligible partnerships.--Each eligible 
        partnership that receives a grant under this section shall 
        submit, for each of the third through sixth years of the grant 
        period, a report to the Secretary that includes--
                    (A) the number of participants of the program 
                funded by such grant who are working in a high-need 
                local educational agency during such year and the 
                preceding year, disaggregated by specific occupation; 
                and
                    (B) in a year in which the number of such 
                participants who are working in a high-need local 
                educational agency decreases from the preceding year by 
                more than 50 percent, an improvement plan for 
                increasing such number as soon as practicable.
            (2) Reports by the secretary.--Not later than 1 year after 
        the first grant is awarded under this section, and on an annual 
        basis thereafter, the Secretary shall submit to Congress a 
        report on--
                    (A) the impact of grants awarded under this section 
                in increasing specialized instructional support 
                personnel, and lowering the ratio of specialized 
                instructional support personnel to students, in the 
                local educational agencies, the consortium of local 
                educational agencies, and the State educational 
                agencies in the eligible partnerships that were awarded 
                such grants;
                    (B) best practices for expanding, or establishing 
                and implementing eligible partnerships and Grow Your 
                Own Programs that meet the requirements of subsection 
                (d)(2); and
                    (C) recommendations for strengthening the eligible 
                partnerships and Grow Your Own Programs served the 
                grants awarding under this Act, such as improving 
                recruitment and retention of participants and 
                increasing the number of specialized instructional 
                support personnel in the community, especially in high-
                need schools.
    (f) Definitions.--In this Act:
            (1) Eligible partnership.--The term ``eligible 
        partnership'' means a partnership among each of the following:
                    (A) A school, department, or program of education 
                (including a graduate level program) within an 
                institution of higher education that is State-
                accredited and is eligible to receive Federal funds 
                under title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 
                U.S.C. 1070 et seq.), which may include a program that 
                provides the training or credentials required for 
                specialized instructional support personnel.
                    (B) A local educational agency, a consortium of 
                local educational agencies, or a State educational 
                agency.
                    (C) A State-accredited nonprofit educational 
                organization or professional licensure organization 
                that provides alternative routes to State certification 
                or licensure, or credentialing for specialized 
                instructional support personnel.
            (2) ESEA terms.--The terms ``local educational agency'', 
        ``State educational agency'', and ``specialized instructional 
        support personnel'' have the meanings given such terms in 
        section 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 
        1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801).
            (3) High-need local educational agency.--The term ``high-
        need local educational agency'' has the meaning given the term 
        in section 200 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
        1021).
            (4) Institution of higher education.--The term 
        ``institution of higher education'' has the meaning given the 
        term in section 101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 
        U.S.C. 1001).
            (5) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of Education.
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