1.1 	A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to education; integrating service-learning into Minnesota's education 
1.3 	system; establishing an evidence-based service-learning grant program; 
1.4 	appropriating money;amending Minnesota Statutes 2014, section 124D.50, 
1.5 	by adding a subdivision; proposing coding for new law in Minnesota Statutes, 
1.6 	chapter 124D.
1.7 	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.8 	Section 1. Minnesota Statutes 2014, section 124D.50, is amended by adding a 
1.9 	subdivision to read:
1.10 		Subd. 2a.Service-learning specialist; service-learning work. The commissioner 
1.11 	shall reestablish a service-learning specialist position in the department to advance 
1.12 	evidence-based service learning, coordinate the service-learning grants program, and 
1.13 	provide technical assistance to school districts, schools, and school programs and to 
1.14 	their community-based partners or participants, such as nonprofit organizations, units 
1.15 	of government, higher education institutions, businesses or business organizations, 
1.16 	community leaders, or parents. The commissioner may provide or may contract for 
1.17 	specialized expertise in school- and community-based service-learning best practices, 
1.18 	professional development or training, service-learning research or evaluation, or 
1.19 	development of service-learning "learning communities" or "user group" support.

1.20 	EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective July 1, 2015.

1.21 	Sec. 2. [124D.501] INNOVATIVE INCUBATOR SERVICE-LEARNING 
1.22 	GRANTS.
1.23 		Subdivision 1.Establishment; eligibility criteria; application requirements.  (a) 
1.24 	A five-year grant program is established to initiate or expand and strengthen innovative 
2.1 	service-learning opportunities for students in early childhood programs through grade 
2.2 	12 and thereby increase student academic achievement, and help close the academic 
2.3 	achievement gap and the community, college, and career opportunity gaps.
2.4 	(b) To be eligible to apply for and receive an innovative, incubator service-learning 
2.5 	grant under this section, at least one public school teacher, administrator, or program 
2.6 	staff member and at least one service-learning specialist, service-learning coordinator, 
2.7 	or curriculum specialist employed at a public school, public school program, or school 
2.8 	district must form an authentic student-adult partnership that includes one or more 
2.9 	community-based organizations or government units. The partnership may invite one or 
2.10 	more other individuals or entities, such as postsecondary faculty members or institutions, 
2.11 	parents, other community members, local businesses or business organizations, or 
2.12 	local media representatives to become partners or participate with the partnership, 
2.13 	consistent with this paragraph. Before developing and submitting a grant application to 
2.14 	the department, participating students must work with one or more adults who are part 
2.15 	of the initial partnership to identify an issue, need, or opportunity to pursue through a 
2.16 	service-learning partnership and identify and invite one or more possible partners to 
2.17 	collaborate in developing and submitting a grant application. The employing school 
2.18 	district that is a member of the partnership or the school district of the school or school 
2.19 	program that is a member of the partnership is the fiscal agent for the grant. An eligible 
2.20 	service-learning partnership receiving an innovation service-learning grant must:
2.21 	(1) include at least a group of enrolled students, two or more school district 
2.22 	employees, and an eligible community-based organization or unit of government; and
2.23 	(2) assist students to:
2.24 	(i) actively participate in service-learning experiences that meet identified student 
2.25 	and community needs or opportunities;
2.26 	(ii) operate collaboratively with service-learning partnership members;
2.27 	(iii) align service-learning experiences with students' individualized educational 
2.28 	plans and programs;
2.29 	(iv) apply students' knowledge and skills in their community and help solve 
2.30 	community problems;
2.31 	(v) foster students' civic engagement; and 
2.32 	(vi) explore and pursue career pathways and achieve college readiness.
2.33 	An eligible partnership interested in receiving a grant must apply to the commissioner of 
2.34 	education in the form and manner determined by the commissioner. Consistent with this 
2.35 	subdivision, the application must describe how the applicant will: with guidance from 
2.36 	the service-learning partnership, incorporate student-designed and student-led service 
3.1 	learning into the school curriculum or in specific courses or across subject areas; provide 
3.2 	students with instruction and experiences during the school day using service-learning 
3.3 	best practices and an option to supplement their service-learning experiences outside the 
3.4 	school day; align service-learning opportunities with state and local academic standards; 
3.5 	and make implementing service-learning best practices an educational priority. The 
3.6 	application also must indicate how the partnership intends to provide student-designed, 
3.7 	student-led service-learning experiences that meet genuine community needs or develop 
3.8 	genuine community opportunities based on service-learning best practices aligned to 
3.9 	state academic standards. The partnership must work with a district service-learning 
3.10 	specialist or service-learning coordinator or a district curriculum specialist to design a 
3.11 	grant application and implement an approved grant application.
3.12 		Subd. 2.Innovation grants. The commissioner of education must award up 
3.13 	to 32 grants of up to $50,000 each to allow eligible partnerships, equitably distributed 
3.14 	throughout Minnesota by congressional district, to provide innovative, incubator 
3.15 	service-learning opportunities to students, consistent with this section. The commissioner 
3.16 	may designate start-up or leader grant categories with differentiated maximum grant 
3.17 	dollar amounts up to $50,000. Grantees designated as leader grantees may have to meet 
3.18 	additional leader grant requirements as indicated by the commissioner in the grant 
3.19 	application criteria developed by the commissioner. The commissioner may renew a grant 
3.20 	annually as appropriations are available and consistent with the grant criteria established 
3.21 	in this section and other criteria the commissioner may establish for grant eligibility or 
3.22 	for renewing a grant. In order to receive a grant, a partnership must provide a one-to-one 
3.23 	match in funds or in-kind contributions unless the commissioner decides to waive the 
3.24 	match requirement for an applicant serving a high number of students whose families 
3.25 	meet federal poverty guidelines. A partnership grantee must allocate the grant amount 
3.26 	according to its grant application, which must include conveying 50 percent of the actual 
3.27 	grant amount to its community-based organization or unit of government partner or 
3.28 	partners to implement or help defray the direct costs of carrying out the service-learning 
3.29 	strategies and activities described in the partnership's grant application.
3.30 		Subd. 3.Evaluation. The commissioner of education must evaluate these 
3.31 	innovative, incubator service-learning initiatives based on the educational and 
3.32 	developmental outcomes of students participating in the service learning and include 
3.33 	summary data on the characteristics and extent of students' participation in service learning, 
3.34 	their development of academic skills or achievements, and their engagement in school, 
3.35 	school attendance, course completion rates, opportunity to develop community, college, or 
3.36 	career connections, and the graduation rates for participating high school-age students. 
4.1 	The commissioner also must evaluate the success of the service-learning grants based on 
4.2 	the community outcomes and community results achieved through student service-learning 
4.3 	experiences and the corresponding student service activities. The commissioner must 
4.4 	transmit an interim progress report on student and community outcomes and results under 
4.5 	this section to the legislative committees with oversight over education by February 15, 
4.6 	2019, and a final report to the same legislative committees by February 15, 2021.

4.7 	EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective for the 2015-2016 through 2019-2020 
4.8 	school years.

4.9 	Sec. 3.  RECOMMENDATIONS ON SERVICE LEARNING.
 4.10 	The Board of Teaching may make recommendations to the legislature on teacher 
4.11 	preparation and licensure requirements in the area of service-learning, consistent with 
4.12 	Minnesota Statutes, section 124D.50, and submit the recommendations to the legislature 
4.13 	by February 15, 2016. The board must consult with representatives of teacher preparation 
4.14 	programs and institutions, community-based service-learning practitioners, licensed 
4.15 	teachers, and other interested stakeholders in developing the recommendations.

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

4.17 	Sec. 4. APPROPRIATION.
 4.18 		Subdivision 1.Department of Education. The sums indicated in this section 
4.19 	are appropriated from the general fund to the Department of Education in the fiscal 
4.20 	years designated for the purposes of Minnesota Statutes, sections 124D.50, subdivision 
4.21 	2a, and 124D.501.
4.22 		Subd. 2.Service-learning specialist; service-learning work. For the 
4.23 	service-learning specialist position at the Department of Education under Minnesota 
4.24 	Statutes, section 124D.50, subdivision 2a, and for related service-learning work under 
4.25 	Minnesota Statutes, section 124D.501:

4.26		$
	300,000
		2016
	
4.27		$
	300,000
		2017
	
4.28 		Subd. 3.Innovative service-learning grants. For innovative service-learning 
4.29 	program grants under Minnesota Statutes, section 124D.501:

4.30		$
	800,000
		2016
	
4.31		$
	800,000
		2017
	
5.1 	Any funds not expended in the first fiscal year do not cancel but carry forward 
5.2 	to the second fiscal year.