1.1 	A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to education finance; authorizing grants for the schools mentoring 
1.3 	schools program; appropriating money; amending Minnesota Statutes 2005 
1.4 	Supplement, section 122A.628.
1.5 	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.6 	Section 1. Minnesota Statutes 2005 Supplement, section 122A.628, is amended to read:
1.7 	122A.628 SCHOOLS MENTORING SCHOOLS REGIONAL SITES.
1.8 		Subdivision 1.Program. The commissioner of education shall select up to four 
1.9 	school districts, or partnerships of school districts, for the purpose of assisting other school 
1.10 	districts in the region with the development of thorough and effective teacher mentoring 
1.11 	programs. The commissioner shall use geographic balance and proven teacher induction 
1.12 	programs as criteria when selecting the sites. One site must include the Brainerd teacher 
1.13 	support system, which has been cited by the Minnesota Board of Teaching as a model 
1.14 	program and was one of only six programs in the nation to be recognized for the 2004 
1.15 	NEA-Saturn/UAW partnership award. The sites shall be known as schools mentoring 
1.16 	schools regional sites.
1.17 	The sites shall provide high quality mentoring assistance programs and services to 
1.18 	other nearby school districts for the development of effective systems of support for new 
1.19 	teachers. The sites shall offer coaching/mentor training, in-class observation training, and 
1.20 	train-the-teacher train-the-trainer opportunities for teams of participating teachers. The 
1.21 	sites shall use their recognized experience and methods to equip schools to work with their 
1.22 	own new and beginning teachers. The commissioner shall review and report annually to 
1.23 	the legislature on the operation of each training center.
2.1 		Subd. 2.Revenue. A school district that is selected to participate in the schools 
2.2 	mentoring schools program under this section is eligible for a schools mentoring schools 
2.3 	grant or may utilize its professional compensation revenue under section 122A.4142, 
2.4 	subdivision 4, to pay regional training sites for staff development and training services.

2.5 	EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective July 1, 2006.

2.6 	Sec. 2. APPROPRIATION.
 2.7 	The following amount is appropriated for the designated fiscal year from the general 
2.8 	fund to the commissioner of education for schools mentoring schools regional site grants 
2.9 	under Minnesota Statutes, section 122A.628:

2.10		$
	150,000
	.....
	2007
	
2.11 	$50,000 each for the following schools mentoring schools regional training sites: 
2.12 	(1) Brainerd Teacher Support System-Brainerd Public Schools, Center for Mentoring; 
2.13 	(2) Induction-Minnesota State University, Mankato; and (3) Mentoring Initiative-Lakes 
2.14 	Country Service Cooperative, Fergus Falls.

2.15 	EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective July 1, 2006.