1.1 	A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to education; youth development; establishing an educational partnership 
1.3 	fund; appropriating money;proposing coding for new law in Minnesota Statutes, 
1.4 	chapter 124D.
1.5 	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.6 	Section 1. [124D.99] EDUCATIONAL PARTNERSHIP FUND.
1.7 		Subdivision 1.Program establishment. The commissioner shall establish a 
1.8 	program supporting coordinated, aligned educational partnerships as specified in this 
1.9 	section, for a comprehensive network of evidence-based support services designed to 
1.10 	close opportunity gaps by improving educational and developmental outcomes of children 
1.11 	and their families within defined geographic areas experiencing poverty and impediments 
1.12 	to economic viability.
1.13 		Subd. 2.Administration; design. (a) Subject to the requirements in this section, 
1.14 	the commissioner shall establish and make publicly available: program requirements, an 
1.15 	application process and timeline for each tier of grants specified in subdivision 4, criteria 
1.16 	for evaluation of applications, and a grant awards process. Requirements and processes 
1.17 	must minimize administrative costs, minimize burdens for applicants and grant recipients, 
1.18 	and provide a framework that permits flexibility in program design and implementation 
1.19 	among grant recipients.
1.20 	(b) In establishing and designing the program, the commissioner shall take into 
1.21 	consideration alignment with programs implemented or proposed by organizations in 
1.22 	Minnesota that:
2.1 	(1) identify and increase the capacity of organizations that are focused on achieving 
2.2 	results for children and youth throughout an entire neighborhood or geographic area 
2.3 	through programs including the Strive Together framework;
2.4 	(2) build a continuum of educational family and community supports with great 
2.5 	schools at the center;
2.6 	(3) integrate programming and break down administrative silos to maximize 
2.7 	efficiency across agencies;
2.8 	(4) develop local infrastructure needed to sustain and scale up proven and effective 
2.9 	solutions beyond the initial neighborhood or geographic area; and
2.10 	(5) utilize appropriate outcome measures based on unique community needs and 
2.11 	interests and apply rigourous evaluation on a periodic basis to be used to both monitor 
2.12 	outcomes and allow for continuous improvements to systems.
2.13 	(c) The commissioner shall consult with grant recipients to collaboratively 
2.14 	develop and revise: core indicators of progress toward outcomes and impacts for each 
2.15 	tier identified under subdivision 4, grant recipient reporting, program goals, and data 
2.16 	sources and measures for evaluation of program outcomes and effectiveness based on the 
2.17 	core indicators for each tier. Rigorous program performance evaluation must be based 
2.18 	primarily on unique criteria established by each partnership.
2.19 	(d) The commissioner may enter into agreements for programmatic or fiscal 
2.20 	administration through a third-party entity.
2.21 		Subd. 3.Requirements. (a) A program under planning, development, or 
2.22 	implementation by a grant recipient under this section must include:
2.23 	(1) providing or coordinating integrated supportive services programming, as 
2.24 	specified in paragraph (b), within a specific neighborhood or geographic area for all ages 
2.25 	of children and youth, and their families, within that zone, provided that services may be 
2.26 	phased in to all ages over time; and
2.27 	(2) implementing a system for evaluating goals and outcomes as provided under 
2.28 	subdivision 2, paragraph (c).
2.29 	(b) Supportive services programming provided or coordinated by a grant recipient 
2.30 	must, at a minimum, address the following areas:
2.31 	(1) kindergarten readiness and youth development;
2.32 	(2) third-grade reading proficiency;
2.33 	(3) high school graduation;
2.34 	(4) postsecondary educational attainment;
2.35 	(5) physical and mental health;
2.36 	(6) development of career skills and readiness;
3.1 	(7) parental engagement and development;
3.2 	(8) community engagement and programmatic alignment; and
3.3 	(9) reduction of remedial education.
3.4 		Subd. 4.Grants. (a) Subject to availability of funds for the program, the 
3.5 	commissioner shall allocate grant awards into three tiers as follows:
3.6 	(1) tier 1 - community planning, for initial planning and development of educational 
3.7 	partnership program locations, including but not limited to organizational and planning 
3.8 	functions to identify partners, community supports, and services;
3.9 	(2) tier 2 - capacity building, for commencing implementation in educational 
3.10 	partnership program locations; and 
3.11 	(3) tier 3 - sustaining, for ongoing operation, stability, and expansion of existing 
3.12 	educational partnership program locations.
3.13 	(b) A grant awarded under this section must include a ....... match from nonstate 
3.14 	sources of funds including in-kind contributions.
3.15 		Subd. 5.Legislative report. By December 15 of each odd-numbered year, the 
3.16 	commissioner shall submit a report on the educational partnership program to the chairs 
3.17 	and ranking minority members of the legislative committees having jurisdiction over 
3.18 	education, early childhood, economic development, human services, and youth. At a 
3.19 	minimum, the report must summarize grantee activities, identify grant recipients and 
3.20 	awards, analyze program performance measures and outcomes including but not limited 
3.21 	to Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment scores, and make any recommendations for 
3.22 	legislative changes.

3.23 	EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective July 1, 2015, and subdivision 5 
3.24 	applies to reports due starting in 2017.

3.25 	Sec. 2. APPROPRIATIONS; EDUCATIONAL PARTNERSHIP FUND.
 3.26 	(a) $4,650,000 in fiscal year 2016 and $5,400,000 in fiscal year 2017 are appropriated 
3.27 	from the general fund to the commissioner of education for the educational partnership 
3.28 	activities fund under Minnesota Statutes, section 124D.99. The appropriation is available 
3.29 	for grants or ongoing appropriations and must be allocated as follows:
3.30 	(1) $400,000 in fiscal year 2016 and $400,000 in fiscal year 2017 are for tier 1 - 
3.31 	community planning grants;
3.32 	(2) $1,250,000 in fiscal year 2016 and $2,000,000 in fiscal year 2017 are for tier 2 
3.33 	- capacity building grants; and
3.34 	(3) $3,000,000 in fiscal year 2016 and $3,000,000 in fiscal year 2017 are for tier 3 
3.35 	- sustaining grants.
4.1 	(b) Funds are available until expended and grants are renewable.
4.2 	(c) The base appropriation for this program for fiscal year 2018 and later is 
4.3 	$6,000,000.