AUTHORIZATION OF TROOPS-TO-TEACHERS PROGRAM.

SEC. 1702. AUTHORIZATION OF TROOPS-TO-TEACHERS PROGRAM. (a) Program Authorized.—The administering Secretary may carry out a program (to be known as the “Troops-to-Teachers Program”)— (1) to assist eligible members of the Armed Forces after their discharge or release, or retirement, from active duty to obtain certification or licensure as elementary or secondary school teachers or as vocational or technical teachers; and (2) to facilitate the employment of such members by local educational agencies identified under subsection (b)(1). (b) Identification of Local Educational Agencies With Teacher Shortages.—(1) In carrying out the Troops-to-Teachers Program, the administering Secretary shall periodically identify local educational agencies that— (A) are receiving grants under title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6301 et seq.) as a result of having within their jurisdictions concentrations of children from low-income families; or (B) are experiencing a shortage of qualified teachers, in particular a shortage of science, mathematics, special education, or vocational or technical teachers. (C) The administering Secretary may identify local educational agencies under paragraph (1) through surveys conducted for that purpose or by using information on local educational agencies that is available to the administering Secretary from other sources. (c) Identification of States With Alternative Certification Requirements.—In carrying out the Troops-to-Teachers Program, the administering Secretary shall also conduct a survey of States to identify those States that have alternative certification or licensure requirements for teachers, including those States that grant credit for service in the Armed Forces toward satisfying certification or licensure requirements for teachers. (d) Limitation on Use of Funds for Management Infrastructure.—The administering Secretary may utilize not more than five percent of the funds available to carry out the Troops-to-Teachers Program for a fiscal year for purposes of establishing and maintaining the management infrastructure necessary to support the program.