HB 778 — An Act amending the act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), known as the Public School Code of 1949, in professional employees, providing for Pre-K Teacher Salary Supplement Pilot Program.

PRINTER'S NO.   799

                     THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA



                         HOUSE BILL
                         No. 778
                                               Session of
                                                 2025

     INTRODUCED BY SHUSTERMAN, HARKINS, CEPEDA-FREYTIZ, INGLIS,
        PROBST, HILL-EVANS, CERRATO, HANBIDGE, KAZEEM, BOROWSKI,
        PIELLI, KHAN, SANCHEZ, DONAHUE, SCHLOSSBERG, D. WILLIAMS,
        CIRESI, GREEN, DEASY, MAYES, FLEMING, HOHENSTEIN, KENYATTA,
        GIRAL, RIVERA, MADDEN, GUENST AND ISAACSON, MARCH 3, 2025

     REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION, MARCH 3, 2025


                                    AN ACT
 1   Amending the act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), entitled "An
 2      act relating to the public school system, including certain
 3      provisions applicable as well to private and parochial
 4      schools; amending, revising, consolidating and changing the
 5      laws relating thereto," in professional employees, providing
 6      for Pre-K Teacher Salary Supplement Pilot Program.
 7      The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
 8   hereby enacts as follows:
 9      Section 1.    The act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), known
10   as the Public School Code of 1949, is amended by adding a
11   section to read:
12      Section 1156.    Pre-K Teacher Salary Supplement Pilot
13   Program.--(a)    The Pre-K Teacher Salary Supplement Pilot Program
14   is established within the department to provide a supplement to
15   bring pre-kindergarten teachers' salaries in line with
16   elementary school teachers' salaries for comparable skills.
17      (b)   The pilot program shall operate for three school years
18   beginning with the first school year after the effective date of
 1   this subsection in accordance with the following:
 2      (1)    No later than ninety (90) days after the effective date
 3   of this paragraph, the department shall establish guidelines and
 4   procedures for the implementation of this section.
 5      (2)    The department shall select eligible pre-kindergarten
 6   programs using the following criteria:
 7      (i)    An eligible pre-kindergarten program that is a school
 8   district shall have a poverty rate of at least twenty per centum
 9   (20%).
10      (ii)   An eligible pre-kindergarten program not operated by a
11   school district must be in a census tract with a median poverty
12   level of eighty per centum (80%) or less of the Statewide
13   median.
14      (3)    The department shall compare the salary and
15   qualifications of the individual teachers in both the eligible
16   pre-kindergarten program and the teachers for the kindergarten,
17   first grade, second grade, third grade and fourth grade classes
18   at the public school that serves the district in which the pre-
19   kindergarten program is based.
20      (4)    The department shall use a formula to calculate what the
21   teachers' salaries would be if they were teaching in the
22   district with the experience and credentials that the teacher
23   currently holds.
24      (5)    The department shall provide a subsidy to the eligible
25   pre-kindergarten program to increase the teacher salaries to
26   where the salary would be if the teachers were teaching in the
27   public school district.
28      (6)    The department shall collect data and issue a report one
29   year after the implementation of the pilot program in accordance
30   with the following:

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 1      (i)     The department shall submit a report to the General
 2   Assembly detailing the pilot program, the implementation and any
 3   success or failure of the pilot program.
 4      (ii)    The department shall provide recommendations for the
 5   General Assembly for improvements and revisions to the pilot
 6   program.
 7      (7)     The department shall apply for Federal, State, private
 8   or other non-State funds.
 9      (8)     The department shall ensure that all funds disbursed are
10   being used solely for increasing teacher salaries. Misused funds
11   must be recovered by the department.
12      (c)     An eligible pre-kindergarten program selected for
13   inclusion in the pilot program shall be responsible for the
14   following:
15      (1)     Providing all necessary salary and employe information
16   to the department.
17      (2)     Providing proof that any funds received are solely going
18   to increasing teacher salaries and not toward lowering the cost
19   of employment for the pre-kindergarten program.
20      (d)     As used in this section, the following words and phrases
21   shall have the meanings given to them in this subsection unless
22   the context clearly indicates otherwise:
23      "Department" shall mean the Department of Education of the
24   Commonwealth.
25      "Eligible pre-kindergarten program" shall mean a pre-
26   kindergarten program operated by a school district or by an
27   approved provider under the Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts Program
28   established under section 1512-D.
29      "Pilot program" shall mean the Pre-K Teacher Salary
30   Supplement Pilot Program established in subsection (a).

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1     Section 2.    This act shall take effect in 60 days.




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