HB 779 — 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 Head Start Teacher Salary Supplement Pilot Program.

PRINTER'S NO.   800

                     THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA



                         HOUSE BILL
                         No. 779
                                               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, RIVERA, HOHENSTEIN,
        KENYATTA, GIRAL, 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 Head Start 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.    Head Start Teacher Salary Supplement Pilot
13   Program.--(a)    The Head Start Teacher Salary Supplement Pilot
14   Program is established within the department to provide a
15   supplement to bring Head Start 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 school districts and Head
 6   Start programs using the following criteria:
 7      (i)    The school district shall have a poverty rate of at
 8   least twenty per centum (20%).
 9      (ii)     A Head Start program not operated by a school district
10   must be in a census tract with a median poverty level of eighty
11   per centum (80%) or less of the Statewide median.
12      (3)    The department shall compare the salary and
13   qualifications of the individual teachers in both the Head Start
14   program and the teachers for the kindergarten, first grade,
15   second grade, third grade and fourth grade classes at the public
16   school that serves the district in which the Head Start program
17   is based.
18      (4)    The department shall use a formula to calculate what the
19   teachers' salaries would be if they were teaching in the
20   district with the experience and credentials that the teacher
21   currently holds.
22      (5)    The department shall provide a subsidy to the Head Start
23   program to increase the teacher salaries to where the salary
24   would be if the teachers were teaching in the public school
25   district.
26      (6)    The department shall collect data and issue a report one
27   year after the implementation of the pilot program in accordance
28   with the following:
29      (i)    The department shall submit a report to the General
30   Assembly detailing the pilot program, the implementation and any

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 1   success or failure of the pilot program.
 2      (ii)    The department shall provide recommendations for the
 3   General Assembly for improvements and revisions to the pilot
 4   program.
 5      (7)     The department shall apply for Federal, State, private
 6   or other non-State funds.
 7      (8)     The department shall ensure that all funds disbursed are
 8   being used solely for increasing teacher salaries. Misused funds
 9   must be recovered by the department.
10      (c)     A Head Start program selected for inclusion in the pilot
11   program shall be responsible for the following:
12      (1)     Providing all necessary salary and employe information
13   to the department.
14      (2)     Providing proof that any funds received are solely going
15   to increasing teacher salaries and not toward lowering the cost
16   of employment for the Head Start program.
17      (d)     As used in this section, the following words and phrases
18   shall have the meanings given to them in this subsection unless
19   the context clearly indicates otherwise:
20      "Department" shall mean the Department of Education of the
21   Commonwealth.
22      "Pilot program" shall mean the Head Start Teacher Salary
23   Supplement Pilot Program established in subsection (a).
24      Section 2.    This act shall take effect in 60 days.




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