HF 2695

1st Engrossment - 89th Legislature (2015 - 2016) Posted on 04/20/2016 12:36pm

A bill for an act
relating to education; requiring literacy/dyslexia specialists; appropriating
money; amending Minnesota Statutes 2014, section 120B.115; Laws 2015, First
Special Session chapter 3, article 12, section 4, subdivision 2.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

Section 1.

Minnesota Statutes 2014, section 120B.115, is amended to read:

120B.115 REGIONAL CENTERS OF EXCELLENCE.

(a) Regional centers of excellence are established to assist and support school
boards, school districts, school sites, and charter schools in implementing research-based
interventions and practices to increase the students' achievement within a region.
The centers must develop partnerships with local and regional service cooperatives,
postsecondary institutions, integrated school districts, the department, children's mental
health providers, or other local or regional entities interested in providing a cohesive
and consistent regional delivery system that serves all schools equitably. Centers must
assist school districts, school sites, and charter schools in developing similar partnerships.
Center support may include assisting school districts, school sites, and charter schools
with common principles of effective practice, including:

(1) defining measurable education goals under sections 120B.022, subdivisions 1a
and 1b, and 120B.11, subdivision 2;

(2) implementing evidence-based practices, including applied and experiential
learning, contextualized learning, competency-based curricula and assessments, and other
nontraditional learning opportunities, among other practices;

(3) engaging in data-driven decision-making;

(4) providing multilayered levels of support;

(5) supporting culturally responsive teaching and learning aligning the development
of academic English proficiency, state and local academic standards, and career and
college readiness benchmarks;

(6) engaging parents, families, youth, and local community members in programs
and activities at the school district, school site, or charter school that foster collaboration
and shared accountability for the achievement of all students; and

(7) translating district forms and other information such as a multilingual glossary of
commonly used education terms and phrases.

Centers must work with school site leadership teams to build the expertise and experience
to implement programs that close the achievement gap, provide effective and differentiated
programs and instruction for different types of English learners, including English learners
with limited or interrupted formal schooling and long-term English learners under section
124D.59, subdivisions 2 and 2a, increase students' progress and growth toward career and
college readiness, and increase student graduation rates.

(b) The department must assist the regional centers of excellence to meet staff,
facilities, and technical needs, provide the centers with programmatic support, and work
with the centers to establish a coherent statewide system of regional support, including
consulting, training, and technical support, to help school boards, school districts, school
sites, and charter schools effectively and efficiently implement the world's best workforce
goals under section 120B.11 and other state and federal education initiatives, including
secondary and postsecondary career pathways and technical education.

new text begin (c) The department must employ a literacy/dyslexia specialist at each regional
center, and a literacy/dyslexia specialist at the department, to provide technical assistance
for dyslexia and related disorders and to serve as the primary source of information
and support for schools in addressing the needs of students with dyslexia and related
disorders. The literacy/dyslexia specialist shall also act to increase professional awareness
and instructional competencies. For purposes of this paragraph, a literacy/dyslexia
specialist is a dyslexia therapist, licensed psychologist, certified psychometrist, licensed
speech-language pathologist, or certified dyslexia training specialist who has a minimum
of three years of field experience in screening, identifying, and treating dyslexia and
related disorders. A literacy/dyslexia specialist shall be highly trained in dyslexia and
related disorders, and in using scientific, evidence-based interventions and treatment,
which incorporate multisensory, systematic, sequential teaching strategies in the areas of
phonics, phonemic awareness, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension.
new text end

new text begin EFFECTIVE DATE. new text end

new text begin This section is effective for the 2016-2017 school year and
later.
new text end

Sec. 2.

Laws 2015, First Special Session chapter 3, article 12, section 4, subdivision 2,
is amended to read:

Subd. 2.

Department.

(a) For the Department of Education:

	$	21,246,000	.....	2016
	$	deleted text begin 21,973,000 deleted text end new text begin ....... new text end	.....	2017

Of these amounts:

(1) $718,000 each year is for the Board of Teaching;

(2) $228,000 in fiscal year 2016 and $231,000 in fiscal year 2017 are for the Board
of School Administrators;

(3) $1,000,000 each year is for Regional Centers of Excellence under Minnesota
Statutes, section 120B.115;

(4) $500,000 each year is for the School Safety Technical Assistance Center under
Minnesota Statutes, section 127A.052;

(5) $250,000 each year is for the School Finance Division to enhance financial
data analysis; deleted text begin and
deleted text end

(6) $441,000 in fiscal year 2016 and $720,000 in fiscal year 2017 is for implementing
Laws 2014, chapter 272, article 1, Minnesota's Learning for English Academic Proficiency
and Success Act, as amended deleted text begin . deleted text end new text begin ; and
new text end

new text begin (7) $....... in fiscal year 2017 is for employing literacy/dyslexia specialists under
Minnesota Statutes, section 120B.115, paragraph (c). The commissioner must employ
a literacy/dyslexia specialist at the department as soon as practicable, but no later than
September 1, 2016. The commissioner must employ the literacy/dyslexia specialists at
each regional center no later than January 1, 2017.
new text end

(b) Any balance in the first year does not cancel but is available in the second year.

(c) None of the amounts appropriated under this subdivision may be used for
Minnesota's Washington, D.C. office.

(d) The expenditures of federal grants and aids as shown in the biennial budget
document and its supplements are approved and appropriated and shall be spent as
indicated.

(e) This appropriation includes funds for information technology project services and
support subject to the provisions of Minnesota Statutes, section 16E.0466. Any ongoing
information technology costs will be incorporated into the service level agreement and
will be paid to the Office of MN.IT Services by the Department of Education under the
rates and mechanism specified in that agreement.

(f) The agency's base budget in fiscal year 2018 is deleted text begin $21,973,000 deleted text end new text begin $....... new text end . The agency's
base budget in fiscal year 2019 is deleted text begin $21,948,000 deleted text end new text begin $....... new text end .