HF 129

as introduced - 80th Legislature (1997 - 1998) Posted on 12/15/2009 12:00am

  1.1                          A bill for an act
  1.2             relating to education; permitting a single statewide 
  1.3             form of assessment; ensuring school accountability for 
  1.4             student achievement of the state's high school 
  1.5             graduation rule; defining successful schools; 
  1.6             developing improvement plans for schools in crisis; 
  1.7             designating distinguished teachers; authorizing 
  1.8             referendum revenue for certain school districts; 
  1.9             establishing a school improvement fund; appropriating 
  1.10            money; amending Minnesota Statutes 1996, sections 
  1.11            121.11, subdivision 7c; 121.1115; and 125.18, 
  1.12            subdivision 1; proposing coding for new law in 
  1.13            Minnesota Statutes, chapters 124A; and 124C. 
  1.14  BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.15     Section 1.  [PURPOSE.] 
  1.16     The purpose of this act is to increase schools' 
  1.17  accountability for students' performance on both a comparative 
  1.18  and contextual basis and to establish a process to reward 
  1.19  successful schools and address the deficiencies of unsuccessful 
  1.20  schools and districts, with the ultimate goal of improving 
  1.21  students' educational performance and experience and long-term 
  1.22  opportunities. 
  1.23     Sec. 2.  Minnesota Statutes 1996, section 121.11, 
  1.24  subdivision 7c, is amended to read: 
  1.25     Subd. 7c.  [RESULTS-ORIENTED GRADUATION RULE.] (a) The 
  1.26  legislature is committed to establishing a rigorous, 
  1.27  results-oriented graduation rule for Minnesota's public school 
  1.28  students.  To that end, the state board shall use its rulemaking 
  1.29  authority under subdivision 7b to adopt a statewide, 
  2.1   results-oriented graduation rule to be implemented starting with 
  2.2   students beginning ninth grade in the 1996-1997 school year.  
  2.3   The board shall not prescribe in rule or otherwise the delivery 
  2.4   system, or form of instruction, or a single statewide form of 
  2.5   assessment that local sites must use to meet the requirements 
  2.6   contained in this rule. 
  2.7      (b) To successfully accomplish paragraph (a), the state 
  2.8   board shall set in rule high academic standards for all 
  2.9   students.  The standards must contain the foundational skills in 
  2.10  the three core curricular areas of reading, writing, and 
  2.11  mathematics while meeting requirements for high school 
  2.12  graduation.  The standards must also provide an opportunity for 
  2.13  students to excel by meeting higher academic standards through a 
  2.14  profile of learning that uses curricular requirements to allow 
  2.15  students to expand their knowledge and skills beyond the 
  2.16  foundational skills.  All state board actions regarding the rule 
  2.17  must be premised on the following:  
  2.18     (1) the rule is intended to raise academic expectations for 
  2.19  students, teachers, and schools; 
  2.20     (2) any state action regarding the rule must evidence 
  2.21  consideration of school district autonomy; and 
  2.22     (3) the department of children, families, and learning, 
  2.23  with the assistance of school districts, must make available 
  2.24  information about all state initiatives related to the rule to 
  2.25  students and parents, teachers, and the general public in a 
  2.26  timely format that is appropriate, comprehensive, and readily 
  2.27  understandable. 
  2.28     (c) For purposes of adopting the rule, the state board, in 
  2.29  consultation with the department, recognized psychometric 
  2.30  experts in assessment, and other interested and knowledgeable 
  2.31  educators, using the most current version of professional 
  2.32  standards for educational testing, shall evaluate the 
  2.33  alternative approaches to assessment.  
  2.34     (d) The content of the graduation rule must differentiate 
  2.35  between minimum competencies reflected in the basic requirements 
  2.36  assessment and rigorous profile of learning standards.  When 
  3.1   fully implemented, the requirements for high school graduation 
  3.2   in Minnesota must include both basic requirements and the 
  3.3   required profile of learning.  The profile of learning must 
  3.4   measure student performance using performance-based assessments 
  3.5   compiled over time that integrate higher academic standards, 
  3.6   higher order thinking skills, and application of knowledge from 
  3.7   a variety of content areas.  The profile of learning shall 
  3.8   include a broad range of academic experience and accomplishment 
  3.9   necessary to achieve the goal of preparing students to function 
  3.10  effectively as purposeful thinkers, effective communicators, 
  3.11  self-directed learners, productive group participants, and 
  3.12  responsible citizens. 
  3.13     (e) The state board shall periodically review and report on 
  3.14  the assessment process and student achievement with the 
  3.15  expectation of raising the standards and expanding high school 
  3.16  graduation requirements. 
  3.17     (f) The state board shall report in writing to the 
  3.18  legislature annually by January 15 on its progress in developing 
  3.19  and implementing the graduation requirements according to the 
  3.20  requirements of this subdivision and section 123.97 until such 
  3.21  time as all the graduation requirements are implemented. 
  3.22     Sec. 3.  Minnesota Statutes 1996, section 121.1115, is 
  3.23  amended to read: 
  3.24     121.1115 [SYSTEM ACCOUNTABILITY AND STATISTICAL 
  3.25  ADJUSTMENTS.] 
  3.26     Subdivision 1.  [EDUCATIONAL ACCOUNTABILITY AND PUBLIC 
  3.27  REPORTING.] (a) Consistent with the state board of education 
  3.28  process to adopt a results-oriented graduation rule under 
  3.29  section 121.11, subdivision 7c, the state board of education and 
  3.30  the department of children, families, and learning, in 
  3.31  consultation with education and other system stakeholders, shall 
  3.32  establish a coordinated and comprehensive system of educational 
  3.33  accountability and public reporting that promotes higher 
  3.34  academic achievement according to the terms of this section and 
  3.35  section 121.11, subdivision 7c. 
  3.36     (b) The educational accountability system must include a 
  4.1   statewide, performance-based assessment program that makes 
  4.2   schools accountable for students achieving the goals described 
  4.3   in the state's high school graduation rule.  The board shall 
  4.4   administer an interim test during the 1997-1998 school year to 
  4.5   assess students' skills in reading, mathematics, writing, 
  4.6   science, and social studies in grades 3, 7, and 11.  During the 
  4.7   1998-1999 school year, the board shall use the test scores and 
  4.8   the program components listed in this paragraph to establish a 
  4.9   baseline for evaluating school building and district performance 
  4.10  levels during the 1999-2000 school year and thereafter.  Subject 
  4.11  to the requirements in section 16B.17, the board shall contract 
  4.12  with one or more recognized experts in the performance 
  4.13  assessment field to design specifications for the interim and 
  4.14  full-scale statewide assessment program.  The program must 
  4.15  provide useful comparative and contextual data on students, 
  4.16  schools, districts, and the state, and include a corresponding 
  4.17  formula to identify successful schools under subdivision 1b, 
  4.18  paragraph (a).  The program must: 
  4.19     (1) provide critical information on basic academic 
  4.20  competencies for high school graduation and higher standards of 
  4.21  achievement; 
  4.22     (2) be comprehensive and efficient to administer; 
  4.23     (3) include multiple measures essential to describing and 
  4.24  understanding students' needs and the performance of the state's 
  4.25  education system; 
  4.26     (4) contain clearly articulated standards of student 
  4.27  performance that appropriately accommodate at-risk students, and 
  4.28  students with disabilities and limited English proficiency; 
  4.29     (5) report variables that a school or district may 
  4.30  influence; 
  4.31     (6) reflect current educational results and trends over 
  4.32  time that contain important demographic and contextual 
  4.33  information and analysis of growth and change; 
  4.34     (7) correspond to the information needs of schools and 
  4.35  districts, including information about instruction and 
  4.36  curriculum required under section 123.972; 
  5.1      (8) include data elements that are comparable and capable 
  5.2   of being aggregated across school districts on a statewide 
  5.3   basis, and data elements that are specific to local district 
  5.4   needs, preferences, and circumstances; 
  5.5      (9) be nonbiased and sensitive to differences in student 
  5.6   and community characteristics; 
  5.7      (10) be managed in a nonpartisan and competent manner; 
  5.8      (11) reduce and consolidate the existing reporting burden 
  5.9   on local districts by better using existing information and 
  5.10  building on current data reporting systems at the state and 
  5.11  district levels; and 
  5.12     (12) assure students' privacy and confidentiality. 
  5.13     (c) The department of children, families, and learning, at 
  5.14  the board's direction, shall assist districts and schools in 
  5.15  developing and using continuous assessment strategies described 
  5.16  in paragraph (b) that are needed to assure student progress. 
  5.17     (d) In expecting all students to attain a high level of 
  5.18  achievement, schools and districts shall work to: 
  5.19     (1) increase students' rate of school attendance; 
  5.20     (2) reduce students' dropout and retention rates; 
  5.21     (3) reduce physical and mental health barriers to learning; 
  5.22  and 
  5.23     (4) increase the proportion of students who make a 
  5.24  successful transition to work, post-secondary education, or the 
  5.25  military. 
  5.26     Subd. 1a.  [ANNUAL REPORT.] By October 1 of each year, all 
  5.27  school districts must publish in a newspaper of general 
  5.28  circulation within the district an annual performance report on 
  5.29  district accomplishments and activities affecting performance 
  5.30  goals, including, at least, district retention rates, student 
  5.31  performance information by the school to the extent permitted 
  5.32  under the state government data practices law in chapter 13, 
  5.33  district goals for the succeeding year, and all items required 
  5.34  under state rule. 
  5.35     Subd. 1b.  [SUCCESSFUL SCHOOLS; SCHOOLS IN CRISIS; 
  5.36  EDUCATIONALLY DEFICIENT SCHOOL DISTRICTS.] (a) Consistent with 
  6.1   this section, the board shall describe in rule an educational 
  6.2   accountability system that defines both successful schools and 
  6.3   appropriate awards, and schools in crisis and appropriate 
  6.4   improvement strategies, and includes the program components 
  6.5   listed in subdivision 1, paragraph (b).  The system shall: 
  6.6      (1) measure success at the school building level; 
  6.7      (2) determine a school's success over a period of two 
  6.8   school years; 
  6.9      (3) reward a school that increases the number of successful 
  6.10  students, including the number of at-risk students and students 
  6.11  with disabilities and limited English proficiency who succeed; 
  6.12     (4) for purposes of making appropriate awards, define a 
  6.13  threshold level for school improvement based on an increase in 
  6.14  the percentage of successful students at the school, an 
  6.15  improvement in a school's mean score derived from a nationally 
  6.16  norm-referenced standardized achievement test, or an improvement 
  6.17  in another performance assessment measure the board selects 
  6.18  after consulting with recognized assessment experts, and require 
  6.19  the most successful schools at least to maintain their previous 
  6.20  level of success; 
  6.21     (5) reward a school on behalf of its full and part-time 
  6.22  teaching staff and independent contractors, other than 
  6.23  substitute teachers, when the school achieves at least a one 
  6.24  percent gain over its threshold level for school improvement 
  6.25  under clause (4), except that the most successful schools shall 
  6.26  receive a reward for at least maintaining their previous level 
  6.27  of success; 
  6.28     (6) calculate a school's reward by multiplying two percent 
  6.29  times the current annual salary of each eligible teaching staff 
  6.30  member and independent contractor under clause (5) on the last 
  6.31  working day of the school year of the reward; 
  6.32     (7) direct the eligible teaching staff and independent 
  6.33  contractors under clause (5) to collectively decide on the 
  6.34  educational purposes for which the reward shall be spent, which 
  6.35  may include technology purchases, staff development programs 
  6.36  under section 126.70, reductions in class sizes, or other 
  7.1   education-related discretionary spending, but may not include 
  7.2   increases in teachers' compensation; and 
  7.3      (8) make the reward available to the successful school. 
  7.4      (b) A school that fails to reach its threshold level for 
  7.5   school improvement under paragraph (a), clause (4), but 
  7.6   maintains its previous level of success, must develop a school 
  7.7   improvement plan.  Such a school is eligible to receive funds 
  7.8   from the school improvement fund under section 124C.80.  A 
  7.9   school that fails to reach its threshold level after two 
  7.10  consecutive biennial reviews, but maintains its previous level 
  7.11  of success, must meet the provisions of paragraph (c). 
  7.12     (c) A school in which the level of success declines by less 
  7.13  than five percent during a biennial assessment period must 
  7.14  develop a school improvement plan.  Such a school is eligible to 
  7.15  receive funds from the school improvement fund under section 
  7.16  124C.80.  The commissioner of the department of children, 
  7.17  families, and learning shall assign to the school one or more 
  7.18  distinguished teachers under subdivision 1e to help implement 
  7.19  the school improvement plan.  If the school fails to meet its 
  7.20  threshold level after the next biennial review, the school is 
  7.21  subject to the requirements of paragraph (d). 
  7.22     (d) The board shall declare any school in which the level 
  7.23  of success declines by five or more percent to be a "school in 
  7.24  crisis."  The board may require the following for a school in 
  7.25  crisis: 
  7.26     (1) direct the school principal or other person having 
  7.27  administrative control of the school to immediately notify 
  7.28  students' parents of the students' right to transfer to a 
  7.29  successful school, with timely procedures for initiating and 
  7.30  actualizing a request to transfer; 
  7.31     (2) require the district superintendent, within 30 days 
  7.32  after the board declares a school to be a school in crisis, or 
  7.33  no later than 30 days before the start of a new school year, 
  7.34  whichever is later, to transfer to a successful school within 
  7.35  the district or an adjoining district any student who requests a 
  7.36  transfer, and when two districts cannot agree, decide the 
  8.1   student's placement within 30 days of receiving the transfer 
  8.2   request from the superintendent; 
  8.3      (3) charge the resident district for all tuition and 
  8.4   transportation costs the student incurs as a result of 
  8.5   transferring from a school in crisis to a successful school; 
  8.6      (4) until the board determines that the school is no longer 
  8.7   a school in crisis, assign one or more distinguished teachers to 
  8.8   carry out the duties described in subdivision 1e. 
  8.9      (e) The board may declare a district that has a declining 
  8.10  level of success for two consecutive biennial assessment periods 
  8.11  an "education development district." 
  8.12     (f) The board may assign one or more distinguished teachers 
  8.13  to an education development district to assist the district.  
  8.14  The distinguished teachers assigned to assist the district 
  8.15  continue in their duties until the district demonstrates 
  8.16  sufficient educational success to warrant the board removing the 
  8.17  distinguished teachers.  
  8.18     (g) The board shall adopt in rule a process that allows a 
  8.19  school or district to appeal a performance judgment it considers 
  8.20  grossly unfair.  An administrative hearing held in response to 
  8.21  an appeal shall be according to the requirements in chapter 14.  
  8.22  The board may adjust a performance judgment on appeal when 
  8.23  evidence of highly unusual circumstances warrants the conclusion 
  8.24  that the performance judgment is based on fraud or a mistake in 
  8.25  computations, is arbitrary, is lacking any reasonable basis, or 
  8.26  when there are significant new circumstances occurring during 
  8.27  the biennial assessment period that are beyond the control of 
  8.28  the school or district. 
  8.29     (h) A school or district may not use any assessment under 
  8.30  this subdivision as a graduation requirement for a student. 
  8.31     (i) Levy referendum revenue is available for the purposes 
  8.32  of this section according to the terms of section 124A.0313. 
  8.33     Subd. 1c.  [EDUCATIONALLY DEFICIENT SCHOOL DISTRICTS; 
  8.34  EDUCATION DEVELOPMENT DISTRICTS.] (a) The board may declare a 
  8.35  school district to be "educationally deficient" when the 
  8.36  district has a declining level of success for two consecutive 
  9.1   biennial assessment periods.  
  9.2      (b) The commissioner of children, families, and learning 
  9.3   shall consult with and assist any school district the board 
  9.4   declares to be educationally deficient.  The commissioner shall 
  9.5   assist the district with matters affecting the district's 
  9.6   educational programs, services, finances, personnel, and with 
  9.7   any other matters where appropriate changes might reasonably 
  9.8   eliminate or alleviate the district's educational deficiency.  
  9.9   The commissioner also shall assist the district in developing 
  9.10  and implementing a district improvement plan.  Appropriate 
  9.11  changes may include improved personnel administration, more 
  9.12  efficient management practices, or other administrative and 
  9.13  academic actions to improve the local district's performance.  
  9.14  The commissioner shall submit to the local board and the 
  9.15  superintendent a list of the services and technical assistance 
  9.16  the commissioner will provide.  The commissioner shall attach 
  9.17  the list to the district improvement plan when it is submitted 
  9.18  to the board for approval. 
  9.19     (c) Each educationally deficient district and each 
  9.20  education development district shall develop a plan to improve 
  9.21  the education of all students in prekindergarten through grade 
  9.22  12.  In developing the plan, the district shall seek the active 
  9.23  participation of its instruction and curriculum advisory 
  9.24  committee under section 123.972, subdivision 3, and the 
  9.25  assistance of the department of children, families, and 
  9.26  learning.  The district at least annually shall submit to the 
  9.27  board its educational improvement plan and list its new process 
  9.28  goals, its interim performance goals, and its timelines for 
  9.29  eliminating the deficiency. 
  9.30     Subd. 1d.  [IMPROVED DISTRICT MANAGEMENT.] (a) Consistent 
  9.31  with the requirements of this section, the board shall establish 
  9.32  a program for voluntarily improving the management of a local 
  9.33  school district.  Any action the board considers under this 
  9.34  program shall be based on data the commissioner collects and 
  9.35  reviews on the instructional and operational performance of 
  9.36  local school districts and on-site investigations of local 
 10.1   management practices.  The commissioner may order, or a local 
 10.2   school board or superintendent may request, a management audit. 
 10.3      (b) The voluntary improvement program shall assist local 
 10.4   districts in developing innovative management practices and 
 10.5   adopting currently accepted practices that will increase the 
 10.6   proportion of successful students within the district.  
 10.7      Subd. 1e.  [DISTINGUISHED TEACHERS PROGRAM.] (a) The board 
 10.8   shall adopt rules to implement a distinguished teachers program. 
 10.9   Outstanding and highly skilled licensed teachers who deserve 
 10.10  recognition for their excellent teaching and who are willing to 
 10.11  fulfill the purposes of the program shall be designated a 
 10.12  "distinguished teacher."  Distinguished teachers shall: 
 10.13     (1) transmit information about the importance and rewards 
 10.14  of teaching; 
 10.15     (2) assist the department of children, families, and 
 10.16  learning with research projects and staff development efforts; 
 10.17  and 
 10.18     (3) accept assignments in unsuccessful schools or districts 
 10.19  under subdivision 1b, paragraph (c), (d), or (f). 
 10.20     (b) When assigned to a school, a distinguished teacher 
 10.21  shall: 
 10.22     (1) work on a full or part-time basis for a designated 
 10.23  period of time to assist school staff in implementing the school 
 10.24  or district improvement plan; 
 10.25     (2) help to increase the effectiveness of the staff, 
 10.26  parents, community participants, and public and private agencies 
 10.27  in improving the performance of the school or district; and 
 10.28     (3) before assisting in a school in crisis or an education 
 10.29  development district, complete a department-sponsored and 
 10.30  board-approved training program that includes instruction in 
 10.31  school organization, school curriculum, and assessment. 
 10.32     (c) The distinguished teachers program shall include: 
 10.33     (1) a selection process that allows for self-nomination, 
 10.34  provides a broad spectrum of instructional positions, and 
 10.35  generates statewide representation; 
 10.36     (2) annual special recognition for five distinguished 
 11.1   teachers who shall receive an additional one-year sabbatical 
 11.2   leave to work with instructional personnel throughout the state 
 11.3   and serve as teaching ambassadors; 
 11.4      (3) a monetary reward of $250 to each distinguished teacher 
 11.5   for the purposes of paragraph (b); 
 11.6      (4) financing by the department of all expenses the 
 11.7   distinguished teachers incur as a result of assisting a school, 
 11.8   other than the expenses associated with funding the position of 
 11.9   the person who replaces a distinguished teacher when the 
 11.10  distinguished teacher is on leave; 
 11.11     (5) a salary supplement of 50 percent of the distinguished 
 11.12  teacher's annual salary during each school year the 
 11.13  distinguished teacher is on leave and assists a school and, if 
 11.14  the school the distinguished teacher assists achieves its 
 11.15  threshold level of performance during the next biennial 
 11.16  assessment period, that portion of the reward due from 
 11.17  calculating the distinguished teacher's base salary under 
 11.18  subdivision 1b, regardless of the staff decision about the 
 11.19  purposes for which the reward is spent; 
 11.20     (6) a professional leave that may exceed two years if the 
 11.21  board determines that additional time is necessary to assist a 
 11.22  school in crisis, and the leave is consistent with the board 
 11.23  rules adopted under section 125.18; and 
 11.24     (7) an assignment to a school or district other than the 
 11.25  school or district in which the distinguished teacher is 
 11.26  employed. 
 11.27     Subd. 2.  [STATISTICAL ADJUSTMENTS.] In developing policies 
 11.28  and assessment processes to hold schools and school districts 
 11.29  accountable for high levels of academic standards, including the 
 11.30  profile of learning, the commissioner shall aggregate student 
 11.31  data over time to report student performance levels measured at 
 11.32  the school district, regional, or statewide level.  Any report 
 11.33  the commissioner prepares must supplement districts' annual 
 11.34  performance report required under subdivision 1a.  When 
 11.35  collecting and reporting the data, the commissioner shall:  (1) 
 11.36  acknowledge the impact of significant demographic factors such 
 12.1   as residential instability, the number of single parent 
 12.2   families, parents' level of education, and parents' income level 
 12.3   on school outcomes; and (2) organize and report the data so that 
 12.4   state and local policymakers can understand the educational 
 12.5   implications of changes in districts' demographic profiles over 
 12.6   time.  Any report the commissioner disseminates containing 
 12.7   summary data on student performance must integrate student 
 12.8   performance and the demographic factors that strongly correlate 
 12.9   with that performance. 
 12.10     Sec. 4.  [124A.0313] [LOCAL SCHOOL BOARD AUTHORITY.] 
 12.11     Subdivision 1.  [AUTHORITY; PURPOSE.] A local school board 
 12.12  may authorize referendum revenue for the school district if the 
 12.13  voters in that school district have failed to approve a 
 12.14  referendum on at least three occasions in the preceding ten 
 12.15  years. Schools and districts receiving referendum revenue 
 12.16  authorized under this section shall use the revenue to improve 
 12.17  schools' threshold level for school improvement or districts' 
 12.18  level of educational success under section 121.1115, subdivision 
 12.19  1b. 
 12.20     Subd. 2.  [AMOUNT.] The local school board shall determine 
 12.21  the amount of referendum authority for the school district, but 
 12.22  the authority must not exceed an amount equal to 75 percent of 
 12.23  the statewide average referendum allowance for that year.  The 
 12.24  amount of referendum revenue the local school board authorizes 
 12.25  shall be added to the school district's other revenue according 
 12.26  to the provisions of section 124A.03.  The levy portion of any 
 12.27  referendum authority approved by the local school board for the 
 12.28  school district shall appear separately on the school district's 
 12.29  truth in taxation statements under section 275.065. 
 12.30     Subd. 3.  [DURATION.] The local school board may approve 
 12.31  referendum revenue for the school district for up to ten years.  
 12.32  Referendum authority approved by the local school board is not 
 12.33  subject to the revocation procedures of section 124A.03, 
 12.34  subdivision 2. 
 12.35     Sec. 5.  [124C.80] [SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT FUND.] 
 12.36     Subdivision 1.  [PURPOSE.] A school improvement fund is 
 13.1   created to assist local schools in pursuing new and innovative 
 13.2   strategies to meet the educational needs of the school's 
 13.3   students and raise the school's educational performance level.  
 13.4   The state board of education shall use this fund to provide 
 13.5   grants to schools for the following purposes: 
 13.6      (1) support teachers and administrators in developing sound 
 13.7   and innovative approaches to improve educational instruction or 
 13.8   management; 
 13.9      (2) assist in replicating successful educational 
 13.10  instruction or management programs developed in other districts; 
 13.11     (3) encourage cooperative instructional or management 
 13.12  approaches to specific educational programs; or 
 13.13     (4) encourage teachers and administrators to conduct 
 13.14  experimental programs to test concepts and applications advanced 
 13.15  as solutions to specific educational problems. 
 13.16     Subd. 2.  [GRANT CRITERIA; ADVISORY COMMITTEE.] The state 
 13.17  board of education shall develop criteria for awarding grants 
 13.18  from this fund to schools in educationally deficient school 
 13.19  districts under section 121.1115, subdivisions 1b and 1c, and 
 13.20  schools that do not meet their performance threshold under 
 13.21  section 121.1115, subdivision 1b.  The governor shall appoint an 
 13.22  advisory committee that includes teachers, administrators, 
 13.23  teacher educators, and members of the public to assist in 
 13.24  planning for and implementing the fund.  The members of the 
 13.25  advisory committee shall serve without compensation, but shall 
 13.26  be reimbursed for all reasonable expenses they incur in 
 13.27  discharging their official duties.  The committee shall advise 
 13.28  the board on application procedures, review of proposals, 
 13.29  evaluation criteria, reporting requirements, and other 
 13.30  fund-related matters. 
 13.31     Subd. 3.  [AUTHORITY TO AWARD GRANTS.] The board has the 
 13.32  sole authority to approve grants from the fund.  The advisory 
 13.33  committee shall review grant proposals and make recommendations 
 13.34  to the board about the merits of each proposal. 
 13.35     Subd. 4.  [FUND PRIORITIES.] The board shall establish 
 13.36  priorities for using the fund grants consistent with subdivision 
 14.1   1.  The department of children, families, and learning shall 
 14.2   assist schools and districts in preparing their grant proposals. 
 14.3   Grant recipients may not use grants awarded under this fund to 
 14.4   supplant funds from any other source.  The board may approve 
 14.5   requests for necessary equipment, at its discretion, if the cost 
 14.6   of the equipment the grantee purchases does not exceed 20 
 14.7   percent of the total amount of the grant and the cost of the 
 14.8   equipment is matched by local funds on a dollar-for-dollar basis.
 14.9      Subd. 5.  [MAXIMUM GRANT AWARDS.] The board shall establish 
 14.10  maximum amounts for specific grant awards.  All fund recipients 
 14.11  shall provide the board with an accounting of all money received 
 14.12  from the fund and report the results and conclusions of any 
 14.13  funded projects to the board.  All fund recipients shall 
 14.14  adequately document all projects to permit schools in other 
 14.15  areas of the state to successfully replicate the projects. 
 14.16     Sec. 6.  Minnesota Statutes 1996, section 125.18, 
 14.17  subdivision 1, is amended to read: 
 14.18     Subdivision 1.  A teacher who holds a license, according to 
 14.19  this chapter, and a contract for employment by a school district 
 14.20  or other organization providing public education may be granted 
 14.21  a sabbatical leave by the board employing the teacher under 
 14.22  rules promulgated by the board.  The board shall include in 
 14.23  these rules a provision to accommodate the requirements of the 
 14.24  distinguished teachers program under section 121.1115, 
 14.25  subdivision 1e. 
 14.26     Sec. 7.  [APPROPRIATIONS.] 
 14.27     Subdivision 1.  [DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN, FAMILIES, AND 
 14.28  LEARNING.] The sums indicated in this section are appropriated 
 14.29  from the general fund to the commissioner of children, families, 
 14.30  and learning for the fiscal years designated. 
 14.31     Subd. 2.  [INTERIM TEST COSTS.] For costs associated with 
 14.32  administering an interim test during the 1997-1998 school year 
 14.33  to assess students' skills in reading, mathematics, writing, 
 14.34  science, and social studies in grades 3, 7, and 11 under section 
 14.35  3: 
 14.36       $.,...,...     .....     1998 
 15.1      Subd. 3.  [DISTINGUISHED TEACHERS PROGRAM.] To implement a 
 15.2   distinguished teachers program to assist schools in crisis under 
 15.3   section 3: 
 15.4        $.,...,...     .....     1998 
 15.5        $.,...,...     .....     1999 
 15.6   Any balance in the first year does not cancel but is available 
 15.7   in the second year. 
 15.8      Subd. 4.  [FUNDS FOR SUCCESSFUL SCHOOLS AND SCHOOLS AND 
 15.9   DISTRICTS IN CRISIS.] To award successful schools and improve 
 15.10  schools and districts in educational crisis under section 3: 
 15.11       $.,...,...     .....     1998 
 15.12       $.,...,...     .....     1999 
 15.13  Any balance in the first year does not cancel but is available 
 15.14  in the second year. 
 15.15     Sec. 8.  [EFFECTIVE DATE.] 
 15.16     Sections 1 to 7 are effective for the 1997-1998 school year 
 15.17  and thereafter.