Home > 105th Congressional Bills > S. 1079 (eah) ...S. 1079 (eah) ...
108th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 1078
To provide for military charters between military installations and
local school districts, to provide credit enhancement initiatives to
promote military charter school facility acquisition, construction, and
renovation, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
May 19, 2003
Ms. Landrieu introduced the following bill; which was read twice and
referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To provide for military charters between military installations and
local school districts, to provide credit enhancement initiatives to
promote military charter school facility acquisition, construction, and
renovation, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
TITLE I--STABLE TRANSITIONS IN EDUCATION FOR ARMED SERVICES' DEPENDENT
YOUTH
SEC. 101. SHORT TITLE.
This title may be cited as the ``Stable Transitions in Education
for Armed Services' Dependent Youth Act''.
SEC. 102. FINDINGS.
Congress finds that--
(1) States are establishing new and higher academic
standards for students in kindergarten through grade 12;
(2) no Federal funding streams are specifically designed to
help States and school districts with the costs of providing
military or mobile students who are struggling academically,
with the extended learning time and accelerated curricula that
the students need to meet high academic standards;
(3) forty-eight States now require State accountability
tests to determine student grade-level performance and
progress;
(4) nineteen States currently rate the performance of all
schools or identify low-performing schools through State
accountability tests;
(5) sixteen States now have the power to close, take over,
or overhaul chronically failing schools on the basis of those
tests;
(6) fourteen States provide high-performing schools with
monetary rewards on the basis of those tests;
(7) nineteen States currently require students to pass
State accountability tests to graduate from secondary school;
(8) six States currently link student promotion to results
on State accountability tests;
(9) thirty-seven States have a process in place that allows
charters to be a useful tool to bridge the gap created by
frequent school changes;
(10) excessive percentages of students are not meeting
their State standards and are failing to perform at high levels
on State accountability tests; and
(11) among mobile students, a common thread is that school
transcripts are not easily transferred and credits are not
accepted between public school districts in the United States.
SEC. 103. PURPOSE.
The purpose of this title is to provide Federal support through a
new demonstration program to States and local educational agencies, to
enable the States and local educational agencies to develop models for
high quality military charter schools that are specifically designed to
help mobile military dependent students attending public school make a
smooth transition from one school district to another, even across
State lines, and achieve a symbiotic relationship between military
installations and these school districts.
SEC. 104. DEFINITIONS.
In this title:
(1) Elementary school; secondary school; local educational
agency; state educational agency.--The terms ``elementary
school'', ``secondary school'', ``local educational agency'',
and ``State educational agency'' have the meanings given such
terms in section 9101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education
Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801).
(2) Military installation.--The term ``military
installation'' has the meaning given such term in section
2687(e)(1) of title 10, United States Code.
(3) Military dependent student.--The term ``military
dependent student'' means an elementary school or secondary
school student who has a parent who is a member of the Armed
Forces, including a member of a reserve component of the Armed
Forces, without regard to whether the member is on active duty
or full-time National Guard duty (as defined in section 101(d)
of title 10, United States Code).
(4) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of Defense.
(5) Student.--The term ``student'' means an elementary
school or secondary school student.
SEC. 105. GRANTS TO STATES.
(a) Grants Authorized.--
(1) In general.--From amounts appropriated under section
110, the Secretary, in consultation with the Secretary of
Education, shall establish a demonstration program through
which the Secretary shall make grants to State educational
agencies, on a competitive basis, to enable the State
educational agencies to assist local educational agencies in
establishing and maintaining high quality military charter
schools.
(2) Distribution rule.--In awarding grants under this title
the Secretary shall ensure that such grants serve not more than
10 States and not more than 35 local educational agencies with
differing demographics.
(3) Special local rule.--
(A) Nonparticipating state.--If a State chooses not
to participate in the demonstration program assisted
under this title or does not have an application
approved under subsection (c), then the Secretary may
award a grant directly to a local educational agency in
the State to assist the local educational agency in
carrying out high quality military charter schools.
(B) Local educational agency application.--To be
eligible to receive a grant under this paragraph, a
local educational agency shall submit an application to
the Secretary at such time, in such manner, and
containing such information as the Secretary may
require.
(C) Regulations.--The Secretary shall promulgate
such regulations as the Secretary determines necessary
to carry out this paragraph.
(b) Eligibility and Selection.--
(1) Eligibility.--For a State educational agency to be
eligible to receive a grant under subsection (a), the State
served by the State educational agency shall--
(A) have in effect all standards and assessments
required under section 1111 of the Elementary and
Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6311);
(B) compile and annually distribute to parents a
public school report card that, at a minimum, includes
information on student and school performance for each
of the assessments required under section 1111 of the
Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965;
(C) require each military charter school assisted
under this title to be an independent public school;
(D) require each military charter school assisted
under this title to operate under an initial 5-year
charter granted by a State charter authority, with
specified check points and renewal, as required by
State law; and
(E) require each military charter school assisted
under this title to participate in the State's testing
program.
(2) Selection.--In selecting State educational agencies to
receive grants under this section, the Secretary shall make the
selections in a manner consistent with the purpose of this
title.
(c) Application.--
(1) In general.--To be eligible to receive a grant under
this section, a State educational agency shall submit an
application to the Secretary at such time, in such manner, and
containing such information as the Secretary may require.
(2) Contents.--Such application shall include--
(A) information describing specific measurable
goals and objectives to be achieved in the State
through the military charter schools carried out under
this title, which may include specific measurable
annual educational goals and objectives relating to--
(i) increased student academic achievement;
(ii) decreased student dropout rates;
(iii) governance, parental involvement
plans, and disciplinary policies;
(iv) a military charter school admissions
policy that requires a minimum of 60 percent
military dependent elementary school or
secondary school students, and a maximum of 80
percent of military dependent students, except
where such percentages are impossible to
maintain because of the demographics of the
area around the military installation;
(v) liability and other insurance coverage,
business and accounting practices, and the
procedures and methods employed by the
chartering authority in monitoring the school;
and
(vi) such other factors as the State
educational agency may choose to measure; and
(B) information on criteria, established or adopted
by the State, that--
(i) the State will use to select local
educational agencies for participation in the
military charter schools carried out under this
title; and
(ii) at a minimum, will assure that grants
provided under this title are provided to--
(I) the local educational agencies
in the State that are sympathetic to,
and take actions to ease the transition
burden upon, such local educational
agencies' military dependent students;
(II) the local educational agencies
in the State that have the highest
percentage of military dependent
students impacting the local school
system or not meeting basic or minimum
required standards for State
assessments required under section 1111
of the Elementary and Secondary
Education Act of 1965; and
(III) an assortment of local
educational agencies serving urban,
suburban, and rural areas, and impacted
by a local military installation.
SEC. 106. GRANTS TO LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGENCIES.
(a) In General.--
(1) First year.--Except as provided in paragraph (3), for
the first year that a State educational agency receives a grant
under this title, the State educational agency shall use the
funds made available through the grant to make grants to
eligible local educational agencies in the State to pay for the
Federal share of the cost of planning for or carrying out the
military charter school programs.
(2) Succeeding years.--Except as provided in paragraph (3),
for the second and third year that a State educational agency
receives a grant under this title, the State educational agency shall
use the funds made available through the grant to make grants to
eligible local educational agencies in the State to pay for the Federal
share of the cost of carrying out the military charter school programs.
(3) Technical assistance and planning assistance.--The
State educational agency may use not more than 5 percent of the
grant funds received under this title for a fiscal year--
(A) to provide to the local educational agencies
technical assistance that is aligned with the
curriculum of the local educational agencies for the
programs;
(B) to enable the local educational agencies to
obtain such technical assistance from entities other
than the State educational agency that have
demonstrated success in using the curriculum; and
(C) to assist the local educational agencies in
evaluating activities carried out under this title.
(b) Application.--
(1) In general.--To be eligible to receive a grant under
this section, a local educational agency shall submit an
application to the State educational agency at such time, in
such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary
or the State educational agency may require.
(2) Contents.--Each such application shall include, to the
greatest extent practicable--
(A) information that--
(i) demonstrates that the local educational
agency will carry out a military charter school
program funded under this section--
(I) that provides intensive high
quality programs that are aligned with
challenging State content and student
performance standards, and that is
focused on reinforcing and boosting the
core academic skills and knowledge of
students who are struggling
academically, as determined by the
State;
(II) that focuses on accelerated
learning, rather than remediation, so
that students served through the
program will master the high level
skills and knowledge needed to meet the
highest State standards or to perform
at high levels on all State assessments
required under section 1111 of the
Elementary and Secondary Education Act
of 1965;
(III) that is based on, and
incorporates best practices relating to
the charter schools including practices
relating to the ``academic passport''
concept, which would ease transitions
for mobile students;
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