January 22, 2026
Ms. Bynum introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and Workforce
To direct the Secretary of Education to carry out a grant program to support signing and retention bonuses for teachers in rural schools, and for other purposes.
Section 1. Short title
This Act may be cited as the Invest in Rural Teachers Act
.
Sec. 2. Rural school recruitment incentive program
(a) In general
Title II of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6601 et seq.) is amended—
(1)
by redesignating part C as part D; and
(2)
by inserting after part B, the following:
C Rural teacher incentive bonuses
2251. Rural teacher incentive bonuses
(a) Grants to States
(1) Authority to award grants
The Secretary shall carry out a program under which the Secretary makes grants to States to enable States to award subgrants to eligible entities, in accordance with subsection (b), to support signing and retention bonuses for teachers in rural schools.
(2) Application
To be eligible to receive a grant under this section, a State shall submit an application to the Secretary at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary may require.
(b) Subgrants to eligible entities
(1) Authority to award grants
A State that receives a grant under subsection (a) shall use the grant funds to award subgrants to eligible entities to pay signing and retention bonuses, in accordance with paragraph (3), to individuals hired to teach in rural schools.
(2) Application
To be eligible to receive a subgrant under this subsection, an eligible entity shall submit an application to the State at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the State may require.
(3) Use of funds
(A) In general
An eligible entity that receives a subgrant under paragraph (1) shall use the subgrant funds to award a signing and retention bonus to each teacher hired by the agency who agrees to teach in a rural school for a period of 3 school years.
(B) Bonus amount and disbursement
The amount of the signing and retention bonus paid to a teacher under subparagraph (A) shall be $5,000 annually for each year of the 3 school-year period described in such subparagraph.
(4) Prioritization of homegrown teachers
An eligible entity that receives a subgrant under this subsection shall seek to prioritize the recruitment, hiring, and award of bonuses to teachers who previously resided in the community served by the entity, including teachers who were born, raised, and educated in such community.
(c) Partnerships with institution of higher education
States and eligible entities shall seek to enter into partnerships with institutions of higher education for purposes of—
(1)
informing students in teacher preparation programs about the availability of rural teacher incentive bonuses under this section; and
(2)
encouraging students in such programs to seek teaching positions in rural schools.
(d) Definitions
In this section:
(1)
The term eligible entity means—.
(A)
a local educational agency that meets the requirements of section 5211(b); or
(B)
an educational service agency that serves such a local educational agency.
(2)
The term rural school means a school under the jurisdiction of a local educational agency described in paragraph (1)(A).
(b) Authorization of appropriations
Section 2003 of such Act is amended by adding at the end the following:
(c) Rural teacher incentive bonuses
For the purposes of carrying out part C, there are authorized to be appropriated $500,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2027 through 2030.