Smaller Class Sizes for Students and Educators Act of 2021
Bill: S.3254 | Sponsor: Sen. Merkley, Jeff (D-OR)
Policy area: Education

Summary:
Smaller Class Sizes for Students and Educators Act of 2021
This bill directs the Department of Education to award grants for local educational agencies to reduce class sizes in the early elementary grades (grades K-3) in targeted public elementary schools by recruiting, hiring, and supporting qualified teachers.

To provide grants to local educational agencies to help public schools 
    reduce class size in the early elementary grades, 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 ``Smaller Class Sizes for Students and 
Educators Act of 2021''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) ESEA terms.--The terms ``elementary school'', ``local 
        educational agency'', ``poverty line'', ``professional 
        development'', and ``State'' have the meanings given the terms 
        in section 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act 
        of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801).
            (2) Early elementary grades.--The term ``early elementary 
        grades'' means kindergarten through grade 3.
            (3) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of Education.
            (4) Targeted school.--The term ``targeted school'' means a 
        public elementary school served by a local educational agency 
        that is in the highest quartile of all public elementary 
        schools served by the local educational agency based on the 
        number of students enrolled in the school who are eligible for 
        a free or reduced price lunch under the Richard B. Russell 
        National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1751 et seq.).

SEC. 3. REDUCING CLASS SIZE IN KINDERGARTEN THROUGH GRADE 3 CLASSROOMS.

    (a) Program Authorized.--
            (1) In general.--From amounts made available under 
        subsection (g), the Secretary shall award grants, on a 
        competitive basis, to local educational agencies to enable the 
        local educational agencies to reduce class sizes in the early 
        elementary grades.
            (2) Duration of grant.--A grant awarded under this section 
        shall be for a period of 5 years.
    (b) Application.--A local educational agency that desires a grant 
under this section shall submit an application to the Secretary at such 
time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary 
may require, including the local educational agency's evidence-based 
plan to reduce class sizes in the early elementary grades that includes 
the following:
            (1) A description of--
                    (A) how the local educational agency will reduce 
                the class sizes in the early elementary grades in the 
                targeted schools served by the local educational agency 
                to not more than 18 students per class, including--
                            (i) the early elementary grade levels that 
                        will be supported under the grant;
                            (ii) how the agency will take into 
                        consideration the needs of subgroups of 
                        students (as defined in section 1111(c)(2) of 
                        the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 
                        1965 (20 U.S.C. 6311(c)(2))), grade level, 
                        subject area, physical facilities, and workload 
                        maximums for educators when determining class 
                        size maximums; and
                            (iii) how the local educational agency will 
                        determine or define class size; and
                    (B) the continuum of small class sizes based on 
                grade level the local educational agency will provide 
                for students in the early elementary grades in the 
                targeted schools served by the local educational 
                agency.
            (2) A description of how the local educational agency will 
        recruit, hire, prepare, and retain educators, including 
        educators from populations underrepresented in the teaching 
        profession (including by racial, ethnic, or linguistic group), 
        as teachers in the early elementary grades.
            (3) A description of how the local educational agency will 
        provide professional development and training for teachers in 
        the early elementary grades to improve students' academic, 
        social, emotional, and mental health outcomes.
            (4) A description of how the local educational agency will 
        provide educators with sufficient preparation time during the 
        school year for activities such as analyzing student work, 
        instruction and assessment planning, or curriculum and 
        instruction-specific professional development.
            (5) A description of how the local educational agency will 
        ensure that any new teachers hired using grant funds meet all 
        applicable State certification and licensure requirements.
            (6) In the case of a local educational agency that is using 
        funds available under part A of title II of the Elementary and 
        Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6611 et seq.) for 
        class size reduction, information regarding the extent to which 
        the funds are being used to reduce class size in the early 
        elementary grades in targeted schools.
            (7) The average class size, by grade, in the early 
        elementary grades of the public schools served by the local 
        educational agency at the time the application is submitted and 
        during the prior 2 academic years, and the goals for the class 
        size, by grade, in the early elementary grades of the public 
        schools served by the local educational agency.
    (c) Award Basis.--In awarding grants under this section, the 
Secretary shall give priority to local educational agencies serving the 
greatest number or percentage of students who are from families with 
incomes at or below the poverty line.
    (d) Use of Funds.--
            (1) Administrative expenses.--A local educational agency 
        receiving a grant under this section may use not more than 3 
        percent of the grant funds for the administrative expenses of 
        the grant.
            (2) Reducing class size.--
                    (A) In general.--A local educational agency shall 
                use not less than 97 percent of the grant funds to 
                reduce class sizes in the early elementary grades at 
                targeted schools served by the local educational agency 
                by--
                            (i) recruiting, hiring, and supporting 
                        fully certified and qualified teachers, both 
                        general education teachers and teachers of 
                        children with disabilities, for the early 
                        elementary grades at the targeted schools;
                            (ii) obtaining additional space, or 
                        renovating school buildings, to provide more 
                        classroom space, except that not more than 15 
                        percent of the funds provided under the grant 
                        may be used for this purpose;
                            (iii) providing professional development 
                        for teachers of the early elementary grades at 
                        the targeted schools, except that not more than 
                        15 percent of the funds provided under the 
                        grant may be used for this purpose; and
                            (iv) developing feedback mechanisms to 
                        improve school working conditions, including 
                        through periodically and publicly reporting 
                        results of educator support and working 
                        conditions feedback.
                    (B) Highest need.--In carrying out activities under 
                the grant, the local educational agency shall first 
                prioritize targeted schools that serve the highest 
                percentage of students from families with incomes at or 
                below the poverty line, and then prioritize such 
                schools with the highest average class sizes in the 
                early elementary grades.
    (e) Reporting.--
            (1) Annual reports.--
                    (A) Local educational agencies.--Each local 
                educational agency receiving a grant under this section 
                shall prepare and submit to the State in which the 
                agency is located an annual report on activities 
                carried out under grant, including progress in reaching 
                the goals in reducing class size described in the 
                application under subsection (b)(7).
                    (B) States.--A State that receives a report under 
                subparagraph (A) shall submit such report to the 
                Secretary.
            (2) Evaluation.--The Secretary, acting through the Director 
        of the Institute of Education Sciences, shall conduct an 
        evaluation of the activities carried out under grants awarded 
        under this section, including an evaluation of--
                    (A) the progress of the local educational agency in 
                reducing class size in the early elementary grades at 
                the targeted schools served by the local educational 
                agency;
                    (B) student academic achievement in the early 
                elementary grades of the targeted schools receiving 
                support through the local educational agency under the 
                grant where pre- and post-assessment data is available;
                    (C) a climate study of--
                            (i) teachers in such targeted schools that 
                        addresses working conditions, job satisfaction, 
                        and teacher stress; and
                            (ii) students, and parents of students, 
                        enrolled in such targeted schools;
                    (D) teacher qualifications for newly hired teachers 
                in such targeted schools for class size reduction;
                    (E) targeted professional development and training 
                provided to newly hired teachers in targeted schools 
                for class size reduction;
                    (F) the time added to be used for teachers to 
                collaborate in targeted schools;
                    (G) teacher chronic absenteeism and retention and 
                turnover rates pre- and post-class size reduction 
                efforts; and
                    (H) rates of student discipline and chronic student 
                absenteeism.
            (3) Annual reports by the secretary.--By not later than 90 
        days after the date by which the reports under paragraph (1) 
        are first due, and annually thereafter, the Secretary shall 
        prepare and submit a report to the Committee on Health, 
        Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate and the Committee 
        on Education and Labor of the House of Representatives 
        regarding the grants awarded under this section.
    (f) Supplement, Not Supplant.--A local educational agency receiving 
funds under this section shall use such funds to supplement, and not 
supplant, any other funds available to the local educational agency for 
the purposes of reducing class size in the early elementary grades.
    (g) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section $2,000,000,000 for the first 
fiscal year and such sums as are necessary for each succeeding fiscal 
year.
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