HF 3733

as introduced - 85th Legislature (2007 - 2008) Posted on 12/15/2009 12:00am

A bill for an act
relating to education; clarifying alternative teacher professional pay system
provisions and establishing oversight; amending Minnesota Statutes 2006,
section 122A.414, subdivisions 1, 2.

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

Section 1.

Minnesota Statutes 2006, section 122A.414, subdivision 1, is amended to
read:

Subdivision 1.

Restructured pay system.

A restructured alternative teacher
professional pay system new text begin that includes pay based on components in addition to experience
and education credits new text end is established under subdivision 2 to provide incentives to encourage
teachers to improve their knowledge and instructional skills in order to improve student
learning and for school districts, intermediate school districts, and charter schools to
recruit and retain highly qualified teachers, encourage highly qualified teachers to
undertake challenging assignments, and support teachers' roles in improving students'
educational achievement.

new text begin EFFECTIVE DATE. new text end

new text begin This section is effective for the 2008-2009 school year and
later.
new text end

Sec. 2.

Minnesota Statutes 2006, section 122A.414, subdivision 2, is amended to read:

Subd. 2.

Alternative teacher professional pay system.

(a) To participate in this
program, a school district, intermediate school district, school site, or charter school must
have an educational improvement plan under section 122A.413 and an alternative teacher
professional pay system agreement under paragraph (b). A charter school participant also
must comply with subdivision 2a.

(b) The alternative teacher professional pay system agreement must:

(1) describe how teachers can achieve career advancement and additional
compensation;

(2) describe how the school district, intermediate school district, school site, or
charter school will provide teachers with career advancement options that allow teachers
to retain primary roles in student instruction and facilitate site-focused professional
development that helps other teachers improve their skills;

(3) reform the "steps and lanes" salary schedule, prevent any teacher's compensation
paid before implementing the pay system from being reduced as a result of participating
in this system, and base at least 60 percent of any compensation increase new text begin funded by
alternative compensation revenue new text end on teacher performance using:

(i) schoolwide student achievement gains under section 120B.35 or locally selected
standardized assessment outcomes, or both;

(ii) measures of student achievement; and

(iii) an objective evaluation program that includes:

(A) individual teacher evaluations aligned with the educational improvement plan
under section 122A.413 and the staff development plan under section 122A.60; and

(B) objective evaluations using multiple criteria conducted by a locally selected and
periodically trained evaluation team that understands teaching and learning;

(4) provide integrated ongoing site-based professional development activities to
improve instructional skills and learning that are aligned with student needs under section
122A.413, consistent with the staff development plan under section 122A.60 and led
during the school day by trained teacher leaders such as master or mentor teachers;

(5) allow any teacher in a participating school district, intermediate school district,
school site, or charter school that implements an alternative pay system to participate in
that system without any quota or other limit; and

(6) encourage collaboration rather than competition among teachers.

new text begin (c) A statewide oversight committee oversees the statutory processes of the
alternative teacher professional pay system under this section and the effects of this pay
system on students' academic progress. Education Minnesota, the Minnesota Association
of School Administrators, the Department of Education, and the Minnesota School Boards
Association must each have a representative on the oversight committee. The oversight
committee must:
new text end

new text begin (1) meet at least quarterly to review letters of intent and the alternative teacher
professional pay programs approved and disapproved in the past quarter;
new text end

new text begin (2) monitor the ongoing implementation and results of the alternative teacher
professional pay system; and
new text end

new text begin (3) report annually by February 1 to the education policy and finance committees of
the legislature on the administration, processes, and effects of the pay system.
new text end

new text begin EFFECTIVE DATE. new text end

new text begin This section is effective for the 2008-2009 school year and
later.
new text end