SF 524

1st Engrossment - 89th Legislature (2015 - 2016) Posted on 08/21/2015 09:58am

A bill for an act
relating to education; modifying Principals' Leadership Institute provisions;
appropriating money; amending Minnesota Statutes 2014, section 122A.74.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

Section 1.

Minnesota Statutes 2014, section 122A.74, is amended to read:

122A.74 PRINCIPALS' LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE.

Subdivision 1.

Establishment.

(a) The commissioner of education may contract
with the Minnesota State University Mankato or the regents of the University of Minnesota
to establish a Principals' Leadership Institute to provide licensed principals in Minnesota
with a research-based and independently evaluated professional development to school
principals program focused on instructional and organizational leadership by:

(1) creating a network of leaders in the educational and business communities to
communicate current and future trends in leadership techniques;

(2) helping to create a vision for the school that is aligned with the community and
district priorities and that utilizes strategic thinking in an ongoing review of the vision;

(3) developing strategies to retain highly qualified teachers and ensure that diverse
student populations, including at-risk students, children with disabilities, English learners,
and gifted students, among others, have equal access to these highly qualified teachers; and

(4) providing training to analyze data using culturally competent tools.

(b) The University of Minnesota university must cooperate with participating
members of the business community and educational leaders to provide funding and
content for the institute.

(c) Participants must agree to attend all sessions of the Principals' Leadership
Institute for four weeks during the academic summer.

(d) The Principals' Leadership Institute must incorporate program elements offered
by leadership programs at the University of Minnesota and, program elements used by
the participating members of the business community to enhance leadership within their
businesses, and current research-based practices in educational leadership.

Subd. 2.

Method of selection and requirements.

(a) The board of each school
district and charter school in the state may select a licensed principal or school leader,
upon the recommendation of the district's superintendent and or charter school's board of
directors, based on the principal's leadership potential, to attend the institute apply to the
Principals' Leadership Institute.

(b) The school board annually shall forward its list of recommended participants
to the commissioner by February 1. In addition, a principal or school leader may submit
an application directly to the commissioner administrator of the Principals' Leadership
Institute by February 1. A committee comprised of the commissioner of education or
the commissioner's designee, the executive directors of the Minnesota Association of
School Administrators, the Minnesota Elementary Principals Association, the Minnesota
Association of Secondary School Principals, the Minnesota Association of Charter
Schools, and Charter School Partners shall make recommendations to the university from
the applicants. The recommended applicants shall be regionally diverse and include
charter school leaders. The administrator of the Principals' Leadership Institute shall select
applicants and notify the applicants and their recommending organizations of the selected
applicants to participate in the Principals' Leadership Institute each year. The commissioner
shall notify the school board, the principal candidates, and the University of Minnesota of
the principals selected to participate in the Principals' Leadership Institute each year.

Sec. 2. APPROPRIATION.

$....... in fiscal year 2016 and $....... in fiscal year 2017 are appropriated to the
commissioner of education for a grant to the Principals' Leadership Institute under
Minnesota Statutes, section 122A.74, to reduce the costs to participants or schools to
$2,000 per participant.