To provide funds to recruit and retain teachers, principals, and other school leader to areas impacted by Hurricane Katrina or Hurricane Rita.

SA 776. Ms. LANDRIEU (for herself and Mr. Cochran) submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by her to the bill H.R. 1591, making emergency supplemental appropriations for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2007, and for other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

At the appropriate place, insert the following:

Hurricane Education Recovery

For carrying out activities authorized by subpart 1 of part D of title V of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, $30,000,000, to remain available until expended, for use by the States of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama primarily for recruiting, retaining, and compensating new and current teachers, principals, school leaders, and other educators for positions in public elementary and secondary schools located in an area with respect to which a major disaster was declared under section 401 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5170) by reason of Hurricane Katrina or Hurricane Rita, including through such mechanisms as paying salary premiums, performance bonuses, housing subsidies, and relocation costs, with priority given to teachers and school leaders who were displaced from, or lost employment in, Louisiana, Mississippi, or Alabama by reason of Hurricane Katrina or Hurricane Rita and who return to and are rehired by such State or local educational agency; Provided, That funds available under this heading to such States may also be used for 1 or more of the following activities: (1) to build the capacity of such public elementary and secondary schools to provide an effective education, including the design, adaptation, and implementation of high-quality formative assessments; (2) the establishment of partnerships with nonprofit entities with a demonstrated track record in recruiting and retaining outstanding teachers and other school leaders; and (3) paid release time for teachers and principals to identify and replicate successful practices from the fastest-improving and highest-performing schools: Provided further, That the Secretary of Education shall allocate amounts available under this heading among such States that submit applications; that such allocation shall be based on the number of public elementary and secondary schools in each State that were closed for 19 days or more during the period beginning on August 29, 2005, and ending on December 31, 2005, due to Hurricane Katrina or Hurricane Rita; and that such States shall in turn allocate funds, on a competitive basis, to local educational agencies, with priority given first to such agencies with the highest percentages of public elementary and secondary schools that are closed as a result of such hurricanes as of the date of enactment of this Act and then to such agencies with the highest percentages of public elementary and secondary schools with a student-teacher ratio of at least 25 to 1, and with any remaining amounts to be distributed to such agencies with demonstrated need, as determined by the State educational agency: Provided further, That, in the case of a State that chooses to use amounts available under this heading for performance bonuses, not later than 60 days after the date of enactment of this Act and after consultation with, as applicable, local educational agencies, teachers' unions, local principals' organizations, local parents' organizations, local business organizations, and local charter schools organizations, such State shall establish and implement a rating system for such performance bonuses based on strong learning gains for students and growth in student achievement, based on classroom observation and feedback at least 4 times annually, conducted by multiple sources (including principals and master teachers), and evaluated against research-validated rubrics that use planning, instructional, and learning environment standards to measure teaching performance: Provided further, That the amount provided under this heading is designated as an emergency requirement pursuant to section 402 of H. Con. Res. 95 (109th Congress).

Hurricane Education Recovery

programs to restart school operations

Funds made available under section 102 of the Hurricane Education Recovery Act (title IV of division B of Public Law 109-148) may be used by the States of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Texas, in addition to the uses of funds described in section 102(e) for the following costs: (1) recruiting, retaining and compensating new and current teachers, principals, school leaders, other school administrators, and other educators for positions in reopening public elementary and secondary schools impacted by Hurricane Katrina or Hurricane Rita, including through such mechanisms as paying salary premiums, performance bonuses, housing subsidies and relocation costs; and (2) activities to build the capacity of reopening such public elementary and secondary schools to provide an effective education, including the design, adaptation, and implementation of high-quality formative assessments; the establishment of partnerships with nonprofit entities with a demonstrated track record in recruiting and retaining outstanding teachers and other school leaders; and paid release time for teachers and principals to identify and replicate successful practices from the fastest-improving and highest-performing schools: Provided, further, That in the case of a State that chooses to use amounts available under this heading for performance bonuses, not later than 60 days after the date of enactment of this Act, and after consultation with, as applicable, local educational agencies, teachers' unions, local principals' organizations, local parents' organizations, local business organizations, and local charter schools organizations, such State shall establish and implement a rating system that shall be based on strong learning gains for students and growth in student achievement, based on classroom observation and feedback at least 4 times annually, conducted by multiple sources (including principals and master teachers), and evaluated against research-validated rubrics that use planning, instructional, and learning environment standards to measure teaching performance: Provided further, That the amount provided under this heading is designated as an emergency requirement pursuant to section 402 of H. Con. Res. 95 (109th Congress).