Us Congress 2023-2024 Regular Session

Us Congress House Bill HB4550

Introduced
7/11/23  

Caption

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.

Impact

The implementation of HB 4550 could greatly affect the landscape of public education by providing financial resources specifically allocated for paraprofessional recruitment and retention. States that successfully secure these grants may use them to offer competitive salaries, training programs, and mentoring opportunities for paraprofessionals. This could potentially lead to better educational outcomes for students as schools would be better staffed to meet diverse learning needs. The bill emphasizes meeting the needs of schools serving a larger percentage of low-income students, which may further improve equity in educational opportunities.

Summary

House Bill 4550 aims to strengthen the support systems for paraprofessionals in public education by directing the Secretary of Education to establish a grant program. This program is intended to assist state and local educational agencies in their efforts to recruit and retain paraprofessionals across public elementary schools, secondary schools, and preschool programs. The focus on paraprofessionals is significant as they play a crucial role in enhancing educational delivery, especially in classrooms that require additional support for students.

Reporting

Additionally, HB 4550 mandates a reporting framework that will require states to provide data on paraprofessional pay, employment figures, and effectiveness of funded programs. This accountability measure is designed to ensure that funds are being utilized efficiently and that the intended outcomes of enhancing paraprofessional roles in education are being achieved.

Contention

However, the bill is not without its points of contention. Some lawmakers may raise concerns about the allocation of federal funds and the compliance requirements imposed on states. Questions regarding the effectiveness of grant money in actually improving recruitment and retention rates of paraprofessionals may also arise. Moreover, the priority given to low-income family demographics might lead to debates about whether it unintentionally creates disparities in support for other school demographics.

Companion Bills

US SB3681

Related Preparing And Retaining All (PARA) Educators Act

Previously Filed As

US HB3006

To direct the Secretary of Education to carry out a grant program to support the placement of students and licensed professional social workers in public libraries, and for other purposes.

US HB1834

To direct the Secretary of Labor to award grants to develop, administer, and evaluate early childhood education apprenticeships, and for other purposes.

US HB305

One School, One Nurse Act of 2023 This bill directs the Department of Education (ED) to award competitive grants to eligible entities for recruiting, hiring, and retaining school nurses. An eligible entity is a local educational agency (LEA) or a partnership between a state educational agency and a consortium of LEAs in the state. Further, ED must specify in regulation the recommended nurse-to-student ratios for elementary and secondary schools.

US HB938

To abolish the Department of Education and to provide funding directly to States for elementary and secondary education, and for other purposes.

US HB5

Parents Bill of Rights Act This bill establishes various rights of parents and guardians regarding the elementary or secondary school education of their children. Local educational agencies (LEAs) and schools must comply with the requirements of the bill in order to receive federal education funds. Specifically, the bill requires schools to notify parents and guardians of their rights regarding the education of their children. These rights include the right to review the curriculum of their child's school; know if the state alters its challenging academic standards; meet with each teacher of their child at least twice each school year; review the budget, including all revenues and expenditures, of their child's school; review a list of the books and other reading materials in the library of their child's school; address the school board of the LEA; receive information about violent activity in their child's school; and receive information about any plans to eliminate gifted and talented programs in the child's school. Additionally, the bill directs each LEA to post on a publicly accessible website (or otherwise widely disseminate to the public) the curriculum for each elementary and secondary school grade level. The LEA must also include in its annual report card the overall budget of the LEA and the budget for each elementary and secondary school. The bill also provides for additional family educational and privacy rights, including by prohibiting schools from selling student information for commercial or financial gain.

US HB463

Children Have Opportunities in Classrooms Everywhere Act This bill allows tax-exempt distributions from qualified tuition programs (known as 529 plans) to be used for additional educational expenses in connection with elementary or secondary school. The bill also allows certain federal funds for elementary and secondary education to follow a student from a low-income household to the public school that the student attends or for tax-exempt educational expenses. Under current law, tax-exempt distributions in connection with elementary or secondary school are limited to tuition for a public, private, or religious school. The bill allows these distributions to be used additionally for curriculum and curricular materials, books or other instructional materials, online educational materials, tutoring or educational classes outside the home, testing fees, fees for dual enrollment in an institution of higher education, and educational therapies for students with disabilities. Distributions may also be used for tuition and the purposes above in connection with a home school (whether treated as a home school or a private school under state law). In addition, the bill directs state educational agencies to allocate grant funds to ensure the funding follows students to their public school or for other tax-exempt educational expenses outlined by the bill. Each state that carries out these allocations must establish a plan that allows the parent of an eligible child to apply for grant funds.

US HR651

Condemning the decision of the Secretary of Education to prohibit the use of funds under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 for hunter, archery, and other shooting sports education programs in schools and explicitly affirming that school programs that train students in archery, hunting, or other shooting sports are eligible for Federal funding under such Act.

US HB2691

To abolish the Department of Education and to provide funding directly to States for elementary and secondary education, and for other purposes.

US HB1005

An Act For The Department Of Education - Division Of Elementary And Secondary Education - Public School District Classified Staff Retention And Recruitment Program Appropriation for The 2022-2023 Fiscal Year.

US SB4

An Act For The Department Of Education - Division Of Elementary And Secondary Education - Public School District Classified Staff Retention And Recruitment Program Appropriation for The 2022-2023 Fiscal Year.

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US HB3265

RETAIN Act Retaining Educators Takes Added Investment Now Act

US SB1567

RETAIN Act Retaining Educators Takes Added Investment Now Act

US SB766

Pay Teachers Act

US HB2425

Universal Full-Day Kindergarten Act

US HB4442

Expanding Access to High-Impact Tutoring Act of 2023

US HB845

Put School Counselors Where They’re Needed Act

US SB1191

A bill to direct the Director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency to establish a K-12 Cybersecurity Technology Improvement Program, and for other purposes.

US HB3606

FLUENT Act Families Learning and Understanding English Together Act of 2023