SF 2553

as introduced - 89th Legislature (2015 - 2016) Posted on 03/25/2016 09:23am

A bill for an act
relating to education; providing local grants to allow underrepresented
populations to pursue a teaching career or attain a license in a teacher shortage
area; appropriating money.

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

Section 1. new text begin GRANTS TO RECRUIT UNDERREPRESENTED POPULATIONS
TO BECOME LICENSED TEACHERS IN THE ST. PAUL SCHOOL DISTRICT.
new text end

new text begin Subdivision 1. new text end

new text begin Establishment. new text end

new text begin An annual grant program in the St. Paul school
district, Independent School District No. 625, is established to provide teacher training
opportunities to underrepresented populations of current high school seniors and education
or teacher assistants or other qualified nonlicensed district employees interested in
becoming licensed teachers, including in subject areas where teacher shortages exist.
To provide grants under this program, the St. Paul school district must enter into an
agreement with a local or regional teacher preparation program or institution approved
by the Board of Teaching to provide the training needed for the grant recipient to attain
a Minnesota teaching license. As part of the agreement, the program or institution and
the district must agree to support and monitor the progress of each grant recipient and to
provide the grant recipient with student teaching opportunities and teacher mentoring.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 2. new text end

new text begin Eligibility. new text end

new text begin Grants under this section are available to high school seniors
in good standing currently enrolled in the St. Paul school district and to nonlicensed
education or teacher assistants or other nonlicensed district employees holding a bachelor's
degree from an accredited higher education institution who are interested in becoming
licensed classroom teachers, including in areas of teacher shortages, and are members of
populations underrepresented among licensed teachers.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 3. new text end

new text begin Grant criteria; funding. new text end

new text begin A person eligible under subdivision 2 who is
interested in working as a licensed classroom teacher in the district for four consecutive
school years after receiving a teaching license may apply to the district for grant funding
to help offset teacher preparation costs, including tuition, textbooks, or other instructional
materials, or for a stipend to enable the applicant to complete the student teaching
requirement. To receive a grant, an eligible applicant must enroll and make satisfactory
progress in the teacher preparation program offered by the provider subject to the
agreement under subdivision 1 and annually must complete an application for federal
student aid. The grant amount must not exceed the grant recipient's actual program or
course costs in a school term or year minus any federal Pell grant or state grant amount the
grant recipient is eligible to receive. Grants must be awarded annually on a first-come,
first-served basis to the extent funding is available.
new text end

Sec. 2. new text begin ST. PAUL SCHOOL DISTRICT GRANT PROGRAM TO RECRUIT
UNDERREPRESENTED POPULATIONS TO BECOME LICENSED TEACHERS;
APPROPRIATION.
new text end

new text begin $....... in fiscal year 2017 is appropriated from the general fund to the commissioner
of education for a grant to the St. Paul school district, Independent School District No.
625, for grants to recruit underrepresented populations to become licensed teachers,
consistent with section 1.
new text end