1.1 	A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to education finance; eliminating the early childhood education 
1.3 	scholarship cap; creating an elementary learning pilot program;amending 
1.4 	Minnesota Statutes 2013 Supplement, section 124D.165, subdivisions 3, 4, by 
1.5 	adding a subdivision; Laws 2013, chapter 116, article 8, section 5, subdivision 8.
1.6 	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.7 	Section 1. Minnesota Statutes 2013 Supplement, section 124D.165, subdivision 3, 
1.8 	is amended to read:
1.9 		Subd. 3.Administration. (a) The commissioner shall establish application 
1.10 	timelines and determine the schedule for awarding scholarships that meets operational 
1.11 	needs of eligible families and programs. The commissioner may prioritize applications on 
1.12 	factors including family income, geographic location, and whether the child's family is on a 
1.13 	waiting list for a publicly funded program providing early education or child care services.
1.14 	(b) Scholarships may be awarded up to $5,000 for each eligible child. The 
1.15 	commissioner shall establish a target for the average scholarship amount per child 
1.16 	based on the results of the rate survey conducted under section 119B.13, subdivision 1, 
1.17 	paragraph (b), per year.
1.18 	(c) A four-star rated program that has children eligible for a scholarship enrolled 
1.19 	in or on a waiting list for a program beginning in July, August, or September may notify 
1.20 	the commissioner, in the form and manner prescribed by the commissioner, each year 
1.21 	of the program's desire to enhance program services or to serve more children than 
1.22 	current funding provides. The commissioner may designate a predetermined number of 
1.23 	scholarship slots for that program and notify the program of that number.
1.24 	(d) A scholarship is awarded for a 12-month period. If the scholarship recipient has 
1.25 	not been accepted and subsequently enrolled in a rated program within ten months of the 
2.1 	awarding of the scholarship, the scholarship cancels and the recipient must reapply in 
2.2 	order to be eligible for another scholarship. A child may not be awarded more than one 
2.3 	scholarship in a 12-month period.
2.4 	(e) A child who receives a scholarship who has not completed development 
2.5 	screening under sections 121A.16 to 121A.19 must complete that screening within 90 
2.6 	days of first attending an eligible program.

2.7 	EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective the day following final enactment.

2.8 	Sec. 2. Minnesota Statutes 2013 Supplement, section 124D.165, subdivision 4, is 
2.9 	amended to read:
2.10 		Subd. 4.Early childhood program eligibility. (a) In order to be eligible to accept 
2.11 	an early childhood education scholarship, a program must:
2.12 	(1) participate in the quality rating and improvement system under section 
2.13 	124D.142; and
2.14 	(2) beginning July 1, 2016, have a three- or four-star rating in the quality rating 
2.15 	and improvement system.
2.16 	(b) Any program accepting scholarships must use the revenue to supplement and not 
2.17 	supplant federal funding.
2.18 	(c) Notwithstanding paragraph (a), all Minnesota early learning foundation 
2.19 	scholarship program pilot sites are eligible to accept an early learning scholarship under 
2.20 	this section.

2.21 	Sec. 3. Minnesota Statutes 2013 Supplement, section 124D.165, is amended by adding 
2.22 	a subdivision to read:
2.23 		Subd. 6.Program funding. (a) Beginning in fiscal year 2016, the annual baseline 
2.24 	appropriation for this program equals the lesser of:
2.25 	(1) twice the appropriation for the previous year; or
2.26 	(2) the actual amount necessary to fund all eligible scholarship requests.
2.27 	(b) There is annually appropriated from the general fund to the commissioner of 
2.28 	education the amount necessary for early education scholarships according to paragraph 
2.29 	(a). This amount must be reduced by the amount of any money specifically appropriated 
2.30 	for the same purpose in any year from any state fund.

2.31 	EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective the day following final enactment.

2.32 	Sec. 4. Laws 2013, chapter 116, article 8, section 5, subdivision 8, is amended to read:
3.1 		Subd. 8.Early childhood education scholarships. For transfer to the Office of 
3.2 	Early Learning for early learning scholarships under Minnesota Statutes, section 124D.165:

3.3		$
	23,000,000
	.....
	2014
	
3.4
3.5		$
	23,000,000
63,000,000
	.....
	2015
	
3.6 	Up to $950,000 each year is for administration of this program.
3.7 	Any balance in the first year does not cancel but is available in the second year.

3.8 	EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective July 1, 2014.

3.9 	Sec. 5.  LEARNING MENTORSHIP PILOT PROGRAM.
 3.10 		Subdivision 1.Establishment. For fiscal years 2015 through 2017, the 
3.11 	commissioner of education shall develop a learning mentorship pilot program to improve 
3.12 	achievement using volunteer mentorships that provides one-on-one advice and training to 
3.13 	students who need educational assistance.
3.14 		Subd. 2.Pilot site selection. The commissioner shall select five school districts to 
3.15 	serve as pilot sites. The pilot sites must include three school districts whose administrative 
3.16 	offices are located in the seven-county metropolitan area, one school district whose 
3.17 	administrative offices are not located in the seven-county metropolitan area, and one 
3.18 	district where a majority of the students served are American Indian children. Two of the 
3.19 	eligible school districts located in the seven-county metropolitan area must have their 
3.20 	administrative offices located in a city of the first class. The commissioner may select 
3.21 	existing programs as pilot sites.
3.22 		Subd. 3.Student selection. Pilot sites are solely responsible for determining which 
3.23 	students in the pilot site school district are paired with mentors. Pilot sites must develop 
3.24 	a selection method to pair students who need additional one-on-one assistance with 
3.25 	volunteer mentors. Students who need additional assistance with academic achievement 
3.26 	should be given preference for being paired with a mentor. Students may be mentored for 
3.27 	any portion of the school year, as determined by the pilot site and the mentor.
3.28 		Subd. 4.Mentorship criteria. Each pilot site must select volunteer mentors who 
3.29 	will work with students who need additional one-on-one assistance to improve educational 
3.30 	achievement. Each pilot site is solely responsible for overseeing its mentors and ensuring 
3.31 	that the mentor's work conforms with the site's academic program. Each pilot site may 
3.32 	determine the appropriate number of mentors and how each mentor interacts with students. 
3.33 	Mentors must act as individual advisors and assist with individual academic performance 
3.34 	throughout the school year. At a minimum, mentors shall work with each student at least 
3.35 	three hours per week. Mentors may work with students in the evenings and during the 
4.1 	summer. Each pilot site must agree to allow mentors to work individually with students to 
4.2 	advise students and to help improve each student's achievement. Mentors must work with 
4.3 	each student's teacher to ensure that the mentorship guidance that is provided conforms to 
4.4 	each teacher's lesson plan and curriculum. Pilot sites must be willing to allow mentors to 
4.5 	work during the school day or after school with students needing additional assistance.
4.6 		Subd. 5.Funding. In each year, the commissioner shall allocate 20 percent of the 
4.7 	grant allocation to each pilot site. Each pilot site's grant allocation must be used to identify, 
4.8 	select, and train mentors to work individually with students who are in need of achievement 
4.9 	improvement. Grant allocations may also be used to purchase academic materials and to 
4.10 	provide food and drink for students who are being mentored after the regular school day. 
4.11 	The pilot site must agree to a financial and academic reporting mechanism determined by 
4.12 	the commissioner for the purposes of preparing the report in subdivision 6.
4.13 		Subd. 6.Report. By January 15, 2018, the commissioner shall report to the 
4.14 	legislative committees in the legislature with responsibility for education finance on the 
4.15 	effectiveness of the learning mentorship pilot project. At a minimum, the report shall 
4.16 	evaluate the extent to which mentorship improved achievement and attendance, reduced 
4.17 	the achievement gap, and improved students' interest in learning. The report shall also 
4.18 	examine mentorship techniques that proved successful.

4.19 	Sec. 6. APPROPRIATION.
 4.20 		Subdivision 1.Department of Education. The sums indicated in this section are 
4.21 	appropriated from the general fund to the Department of Education for the fiscal years 
4.22 	designated.
4.23 		Subd. 2.Learning mentorship pilot project. For learning mentorship pilot project 
4.24 	grants and administration:

4.25		$
	1,500,000
	....
	2015
	
4.26 	The Department of Education may retain up to five percent of this appropriation for 
4.27 	administration of the pilot project.
4.28 	The base for fiscal years 2016 and 2017 is $1,500,000 each year. The base for 
4.29 	fiscal year 2018 and later is $0.

4.30 	Sec. 7. APPROPRIATION.
 4.31 		Subdivision 1.Board of the Arts. The sums indicated in this section are 
4.32 	appropriated from the general fund to the Board of the Arts for the fiscal years designated.
5.1 		Subd. 2.Arts education. For arts education in partnership with the President's 
5.2 	Turnaround Arts Initiative:

5.3		$
	600,000
	....
	2015
	
5.4 	The base for fiscal year 2016 is $600,000. The base in fiscal year 2017 and thereafter 
5.5 	is $0.