1.1 	A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to education; establishing a tutoring grant program; appropriating money; 
1.3 	proposing coding for new law in Minnesota Statutes, chapter 124D.
1.4 	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.5 	Section 1. [124D.901] TUTORING GRANTS PROGRAM.
1.6 		Subdivision 1.Establishment. (a) The Department of Education must administer a grant 
1.7 	program to support highly effective tutoring programs that address learning loss or unfinished 
1.8 	learning, create learning supports that meet the immediate and diverse needs of students, 
1.9 	and are accessible to students with the greatest learning needs.
1.10 	(b) Grant funds may be used to sustain tutoring programs established with federal funding 
1.11 	during the 2020-2021 to 2022-2023 school years or to implement new tutoring programs 
1.12 	using best practices.
1.13 		Subd. 2.Definitions. (a) For purposes of this section, the following definitions have the 
1.14 	meanings given.
1.15 	(b) "High-dosage tutoring" means tutoring that takes place at least three times per week.
1.16 	(c) "Qualified tutor" means a person who meets the following requirements:
1.17 	(1) at least one year of tutoring or teaching experience or demonstrated proficiency in 
1.18 	pedagogy and subject area;
1.19 	(2) training in protocols to triage student health and safety; and
1.20 	(3) other qualifications established by the Department of Education.
1.21 	(d) "Qualified tutoring site" means any of the following:
2.1 	(1) a school district site or charter school;
2.2 	(2) a cooperative unit under section 123A.24, subdivision 2;
2.3 	(3) an institution of higher education located in Minnesota; or
2.4 	(4) a community facility that meets the requirements established by the Department of 
2.5 	Education.
2.6 		Subd. 3.Eligible applicants. The following are eligible for grant funding for a tutoring 
2.7 	program:
2.8 	(1) school districts;
2.9 	(2) charter schools;
2.10 	(3) cooperative units under section 123A.24, subdivision 2; and
2.11 	(4) organizations that enter into a contract with a school district, charter school, or 
2.12 	cooperative unit to provide a tutoring program, if the contract requires the organization to 
2.13 	provide requested data to educators and school administrators to evaluate the efficacy of 
2.14 	the tutoring program and assess student progress.
2.15 		Subd. 4.Tutoring program requirements. (a) An applicant must demonstrate that a 
2.16 	tutoring program:
2.17 	(1) coordinates tutoring services with a student's teacher, and provide optional 
2.18 	professional development opportunities to educators on using tutoring services and related 
2.19 	data;
2.20 	(2) provides tutoring to students at qualified tutoring sites on flexible schedules;
2.21 	(3) provides families introductory information about the tutoring program, and regular 
2.22 	updates and progress reports;
2.23 	(4) includes accurate multilingual supports;
2.24 	(5) is accessible to students with disabilities, including students with visual or hearing 
2.25 	impairments; and
2.26 	(6) gathers student feedback regularly.
2.27 	(b) A tutoring program that receives a grant under this section must:
2.28 	(1) use qualified tutors who:
2.29 	(i) are compensated for their tutoring services;
2.30 	(ii) receive ongoing training and support;
3.1 	(iii) have performance evaluations at least annually; and
3.2 	(iv) have a completed background check that meets the requirements of section 123B.03;
3.3 	(2) use curriculum and instructional materials that are:
3.4 	(i) aligned with state standards;
3.5 	(ii) aligned with school efforts to support career and college readiness and early literacy;
3.6 	(iii) for reading tutoring, based on the science of reading; and
3.7 	(iv) culturally relevant and engaging; and
3.8 	(3) provide proficiency, growth, and usage data to the Department of Education.
3.9 	(c) A tutoring program may provide online tutoring, but must be accessible to families 
3.10 	with restricted access to high-speed Internet.
3.11 		Subd. 5.Department of Education. (a) The Department of Education must administer 
3.12 	the grant program and provide technical assistance to grant recipients, including identifying 
3.13 	minimum qualifications for a qualified tutor and requirements for a community facility to 
3.14 	be a qualified tutoring site, and helping grant recipients identify curriculum and instructional 
3.15 	materials based on the science of reading.
3.16 	(b) The department must review data from grant recipients and evaluate efficacy of the 
3.17 	tutoring programs funded under this section, and communicate its findings to grant recipients.
3.18 	(c) In awarding grants, the commissioner must give priority to tutoring programs that:
3.19 	(1) provide tutoring services in Spanish, Hmong, Somali, Vietnamese, and Russian; and
3.20 	(2) have a strategy to implement high-dosage tutoring.
3.21 		Subd. 6.Funding uses. A grant recipient may use grant funds for:
3.22 	(1) costs associated with recruiting, and compensating qualified tutors and support staff;
3.23 	(2) additional supports and services for students participating in the tutoring program;
3.24 	(3) professional development for qualified tutors;
3.25 	(4) student identification and engagement efforts that include parent or guardian 
3.26 	education; and
3.27 	(5) contracts with vendors or direct administration of the tutoring program.

3.28 	EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective July 1, 2023.

4.1 	Sec. 2. APPROPRIATION; TUTORING GRANTS PROGRAM.
 4.2 		Subdivision 1.Department of Education. The sums indicated in this section are 
4.3 	appropriated from the general fund to the Department of Education in the fiscal years 
4.4 	designated.
4.5 		Subd. 2.Tutoring program grants. (a) For grants to tutoring programs under Minnesota 
4.6 	Statutes, section 124D.901:

4.7		$
	20,000,000
	.....
	2024
	
4.8		$
	20,000,000
	.....
	2025
	
4.9 	(b) The Department of Education may retain up to 15 percent to administer the grant, 
4.10 	evaluate the efficacy of tutoring programs, and fulfill other requirements under Minnesota 
4.11 	Statutes, section 124D.901.
4.12 	(c) Any balance does not cancel but is available in the following fiscal year.
4.13 	(d) The base for fiscal year 2026 and later is $20,000,000.