HR 3928 IHCommentsClose CommentsPermalink

To amend the provisions of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 regarding school library media specialists, and for other purposes.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

October 26, 2009CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

Mr. GRIJALVA (for himself and Mr. EHLERS) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and LaborCommentsClose CommentsPermalink

To amend the provisions of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 regarding school library media specialists, and for other purposes.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ‘Strengthening Kids’ Interest in Learning and Libraries Act’ or the ‘SKILLs Act’.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

TITLE I--SCHOOL LIBRARY MEDIA SPECIALIST REQUIREMENTSCommentsClose CommentsPermalink

SEC. 101. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

Section 1002(b)(4) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6302) is amended by striking ‘2002’ and inserting ‘2010’.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

SEC. 102. STATE PLANS.

(a) Academic Standards, Academic Assessments, and Accountability- Section 1111(b)(8) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6311(b)(8)) is amended--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(1) in subparagraph (D), by striking ‘and’ after the semicolon;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(2) by redesignating subparagraph (E) as subparagraph (F); andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(3) by inserting after subparagraph (D) the following:CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(E) how the State educational agency will meet the goal of ensuring that there is not less than 1 highly qualified school library media specialist in each school receiving funds under this part, as described in section 1119(h)(2); and’.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(b) Other Provisions To Support Teaching and Learning- Section 1111(c) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6311(c)) is amended--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(1) in paragraph (13), by striking ‘and’ after the semicolon;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(2) in paragraph (14), by striking the period and inserting ‘; and’; andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(3) by inserting after paragraph (14) the following:CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(15) the State educational agency will establish a goal of having not less than 1 State-certified school library media specialist in each public school that receives funds under this part.’.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

SEC. 103. LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGENCY PLANS.

(a) Plan Provisions- Section 1112(b)(1)(N) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6312(b)(1)(N)) is amended by inserting ‘, including ensuring that there is not less than 1 highly qualified school library media specialist in each school’ before the semicolon.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(b) Assurances- Section 1112(c)(1) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6312(c)(1)) is amended--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(1) in subparagraph (N), by striking ‘and’ after the semicolon;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(2) in subparagraph (O), by striking the period and inserting ‘; and’; andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(3) by inserting after subparagraph (O) the following:CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(P) ensure, to the extent feasible, that each school served by the local educational agency and receiving funds under this part employs not less than 1 State-certified school library media specialist.’.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

SEC. 104. SCHOOLWIDE PROGRAMS.

Section 1114(b)(1)(D) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6314(b)(1)(D)) is amended by inserting ‘school library media specialists,’ after ‘teachers,’.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

SEC. 105. TARGETED ASSISTANCE SCHOOLS.

Section 1115(c)(1)(F) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6315(c)(1)(F)) is amended by inserting ‘school library media specialists,’ after ‘teachers,’.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

SEC. 106. QUALIFICATIONS FOR TEACHERS, PARAPROFESSIONALS, AND SCHOOL LIBRARY MEDIA SPECIALISTS.

(a) In General- Section 1119 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6319) is amended--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(1) in the section heading, by striking ‘teachers and paraprofessionals’ and inserting ‘teachers, paraprofessionals, and school library media specialists’;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(2) by redesignating subsections (h) through (l) as subsections (i) through (m), respectively;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(3) by inserting after subsection (g) the following:CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(h) School Library Media Specialists-CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(1) LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGENCY REQUIREMENT- Each local educational agency receiving assistance under this part shall ensure, to the extent feasible, that each school that is served by the local educational agency and receives funds under this part employs not less than 1 highly qualified school library media specialist.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(2) STATE GOAL- Each State educational agency receiving assistance under this part shall--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(A) establish a goal of having not less than 1 highly qualified school library media specialist in each public school that is served by the State educational agency and receives funds under this part; andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(B) specify a date by which the State will reach this goal, which date shall be not later than the beginning of the 2010-2011 school year.’; andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(4) in subsection (i) (as redesignated by subsection (a)(2)), by striking ‘and paraprofessionals’ and inserting ‘, paraprofessionals, and school library and media specialists’.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(b) Conforming Amendment- Section 1119(l) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (as redesignated by subsection (a)(2)) (20 U.S.C. 6319(l)) is amended by striking ‘subsection (1)’ and inserting ‘subsection (m)’.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

SEC. 107. IMPROVING LITERACY THROUGH SCHOOL LIBRARIES.

Section 1251 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6383) is amended--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(1) in subsection (a), by striking ‘well-trained, professionally certified’ and inserting ‘highly qualified’;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(2) in subsection (e)(3)--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(A) by striking ‘DISTRIBUTION- The’ and inserting the following: ‘DISTRIBUTION-CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(A) GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION- The’; andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(B) by adding at the end the following:CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(B) BALANCE AMONG TYPES OF SCHOOLS- In awarding grants under this subsection, the Secretary shall take into consideration whether funding is proportionally distributed among projects serving students in elementary, middle, and high schools.’;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(3) in subsection (f)(2)--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(A) in subparagraph (A)--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(i) by inserting ‘the need for student literacy improvement at all grade levels,’ before ‘the need for’; andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(ii) by striking ‘well-trained, professionally certified’ and inserting ‘highly qualified’;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(4) by striking subparagraph (B) and inserting the following:CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(B) a needs assessment of which grade spans are served, ensuring funding is proportionally distributed to serve students in elementary, middle, and high schools;’;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(5) in subsection (g)--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(A) in paragraph (1), by striking the semicolon at the end and inserting ‘and reading materials, such as books and materials that--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(A) are appropriate for students in all grade levels to be served and for students with special learning needs, including students who are limited English proficient; andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(B) engage the interest of readers at all reading levels;’; andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(B) in paragraph (4), by striking ‘professional development described in section 1222(d)(2)’ and inserting ‘professional development in information literacy instruction that is appropriate for all grades, including the assessment of student literacy needs, the coordination of reading and writing instruction across content areas, and training in literacy strategies in all content areas’.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

TITLE II--PREPARING, TEACHING, AND RECRUITING HIGH QUALITY TEACHERS, SCHOOL LIBRARY MEDIA SPECIALISTS, AND PRINCIPALSCommentsClose CommentsPermalink

SEC. 201. TEACHER, SCHOOL LIBRARY MEDIA SPECIALIST, AND PRINCIPAL TRAINING AND RECRUITING FUND.

Title II of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6601 et seq.) is amended--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(1) in the title heading, by striking ‘HIGH QUALITY TEACHERS AND PRINCIPALS’ and inserting ‘HIGH QUALITY TEACHERS, SCHOOL LIBRARY MEDIA SPECIALISTS, AND PRINCIPALS’; andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(2) in the part heading, by striking ‘teacher and principal’ and inserting ‘teacher, school library media specialist, and principal’.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

SEC. 202. PURPOSE.

Section 2101(1) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6601(1)) is amended to read as follows:CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(1) increase student academic achievement through strategies such as--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(A) improving teacher, school library media specialist, and principal quality; andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(B) increasing the number of highly qualified teachers in the classroom, highly qualified school library media specialists in the library, and highly qualified principals and assistant principals in schools; and’.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

SEC. 203. STATE APPLICATIONS.

Section 2112(b) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6612(b)) is amended--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(1) in paragraph (4), by inserting ‘, school library media specialists,’ before ‘and principals’; andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(2) in paragraph (10), by inserting ‘, school library media specialist,’ before ‘and paraprofessional’.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

SEC. 204. STATE USE OF FUNDS.

Section 2113(c) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6613(c)) is amended--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(1) in paragraph (4)--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(A) in the matter preceding subparagraph (A), by inserting ‘highly qualified school library media specialists,’ before ‘principals’; andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(B) in subparagraph (B), by inserting ‘, highly qualified school library media specialists,’ before ‘and principals’; andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(2) in paragraph (6), by striking ‘teachers and principals’ each place the term appears and inserting ‘teachers, school library media specialists, and principals’.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

SEC. 205. LOCAL USES OF FUNDS.

Section 2123(a) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6623(a)) is amended by inserting after paragraph (8) the following:CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(9)(A) Developing and implementing strategies to assist in recruiting and retaining highly qualified school library media specialists; andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(B) providing appropriate professional development for such specialists, particularly related to skills necessary to assist students to improve the students’ academic achievement, including skills related to information literacy.’.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

TITLE III--GENERAL PROVISIONSCommentsClose CommentsPermalink

SEC. 301. DEFINITIONS.

Section 9101(23) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801(23)) is amended--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(1) in subparagraph (B)(ii)(II), by striking ‘and’ after the semicolon;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(2) in subparagraph (C)(ii)(VII), by striking the period at the end and inserting ‘; and’; andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(3) by adding at the end the following:CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(D) when used with respect to a school library media specialist employed in an elementary school or secondary school in a State, means that the school library media specialist--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(i) holds at least a bachelor’s degree;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(ii) has obtained full State certification as a school library media specialist or passed the State teacher licensing examination, with State certification in library media, in such State, except that when used with respect to any school library media specialist teaching in a public charter school, the term means that the school library media specialist meets the requirements set forth in the State’s public charter school law; andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(iii) has not had certification or licensure requirements waived on an emergency, temporary, or provisional basis.’.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

SEC. 302. CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.

(a) Table of Contents- The table of contents in section 2 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6301 note) is amended--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(1) by striking the item relating to section 1119 and inserting the following:CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘Sec. 1119. Qualifications for teachers, paraprofessionals, and school library media specialists.’;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(2) by striking the item relating to title II and inserting the following:CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

‘TITLE II--PREPARING, TRAINING, AND RECRUITING HIGH QUALITY TEACHERS, SCHOOL LIBRARY MEDIA SPECIALISTS, AND PRINCIPALS’;

andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(3) by striking the item relating to part A of title II and inserting the following:CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

‘Part A--Teacher, School Library Media Specialist, and Principal Training and Recruiting Fund’.