Minnesota Legislature
SF 4398
as introduced - 91st Legislature (2019 - 2020) Posted on 03/17/2020 01:59pm
Current Version - as introduced
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A bill for an act
relating to higher education; modifying certain teacher shortage programs;
amending Minnesota Statutes 2018, sections 136A.1275, subdivision 1, by adding
subdivisions; 136A.1791, subdivisions 1, 2, 3; Minnesota Statutes 2019 Supplement,
section 136A.1275, subdivision 3.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:
Section 1.
Minnesota Statutes 2018, section 136A.1275, subdivision 1, is amended to
read:
Subdivision 1.
Establishment.
(a) The commissioner of the Office of Higher Education
must establish a grant program for student teaching stipends for low-income students enrolled
in a Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board-approved teacher preparation
program who intend to teach in a shortage area after graduating and receiving their teaching
license or belong to deleted text begin an underrepresenteddeleted text end new text begin anew text end racial or ethnic groupnew text begin underrepresented in the
teacher workforcenew text end .
(b) "new text begin Teacher new text end shortage area" means a license fieldnew text begin , economic development region,new text end or
new text begin license area within an new text end economic development region deleted text begin within Minnesota defined as a shortage
area by the Department of Educationdeleted text end new text begin where there is an inadequate supply of elementary or
secondary school teachers, as determined by the Professional Educator Licensing and
Standards Board, new text end using data collected for the teacher supply and demand report under section
deleted text begin 127A.05, subdivision 6, or other surveys conducted by the Department of Education that
provide indicators for teacher supply and demanddeleted text end new text begin 122A.091, subdivision 5new text end .
new text begin
(c) "Racial or ethnic group underrepresented in the teacher workforce" means a racial
or ethnic group for which the aggregate percentage of Minnesota teachers of that racial or
ethnic group is lower than the aggregate percentage of Minnesota kindergarten through
grade 12 students of that racial or ethnic group.
new text end
Sec. 2.
Minnesota Statutes 2019 Supplement, section 136A.1275, subdivision 3, is amended
to read:
Subd. 3.
Administration; repayment.
(a) The commissioner must establish an
application process and other guidelines for implementing this program.
(b) The commissioner must determine each academic year the stipend amount up to
$7,500 based on the amount of available funding, the number of eligible applicants, and the
financial need of the applicants.
(c) new text begin If there are insufficient funds to provide an award to all eligible participants, the
commissioner shall prioritize the awards to eligible participants based on:
new text end
new text begin
(1) the financial need of an applicant, considering the applicant's income and household
size;
new text end
new text begin
(2) whether the applicant is employed in an economic development region that is a
teacher shortage area;
new text end
new text begin
(3) whether the applicant is employed in a teacher shortage area in the applicant's
economic development region;
new text end
new text begin
(4) whether the applicant is employed in a statewide teacher shortage area; and
new text end
new text begin
(5) the statewide distribution of funds.
new text end
new text begin (d) new text end The percentage of the total award funds available at the beginning of the fiscal year
reserved for teacher candidates who identify as belonging to a racial or ethnic group
underrepresented in the Minnesota teacher workforce must be equal to or greater than the
total percentage of students of racial or ethnic groups underrepresented in the Minnesota
teacher workforce as measured under section 120B.35, subdivision 3. If this percentage
cannot be met because of a lack of qualifying candidates, the remaining amount may be
awarded to teacher candidates who intend to teach in a shortage area.
Sec. 3.
Minnesota Statutes 2018, section 136A.1275, is amended by adding a subdivision
to read:
new text begin Subd. 4. new text end
new text begin Use of report on teacher shortage areas. new text end
new text begin
The Professional Educator Licensing
and Standards Board shall use data collected for the teacher supply and demand report under
section 122A.091, subdivision 5, to identify teacher shortage areas as defined in subdivision
1, paragraph (b). The methodology used to identify shortage areas must be consistent with
the methodology used to report teacher shortage areas to the United States Department of
Education. The teacher shortage areas identified under this subdivision must be posted on
the board's website.
new text end
Sec. 4.
Minnesota Statutes 2018, section 136A.1275, is amended by adding a subdivision
to read:
new text begin Subd. 5. new text end
new text begin Annual reporting. new text end
new text begin
By February 1 of each year, the commissioner must report
to the chairs and ranking minority members of the legislative committees with jurisdiction
over E-12 and higher education finance and policy on the number of individuals who received
grants under this section, the race or ethnicity of the teachers participating in the program,
the licensure areas and economic development regions in which the teachers taught, the
amount paid to teacher candidates participating in the program, and other summary data
identified by the commissioner as outcome indicators.
new text end
Sec. 5.
Minnesota Statutes 2018, section 136A.1791, subdivision 1, is amended to read:
Subdivision 1.
Definitions.
(a) The terms used in this section have the meanings given
them in this subdivision.
(b) "Qualified educational loan" means a government, commercial, or foundation loan
for actual costs paid for tuition and reasonable educational and living expenses related to a
teacher's preparation deleted text begin or further educationdeleted text end .
(c) "School district" means an independent school district, special school district,
intermediate district, education district, special education cooperative, service cooperative,
a cooperative center for vocational education, or a charter school located in Minnesota.
(d) "Teacher" means an individual holding a teaching license issued by the Professional
Educator Licensing and Standards Board who is employed by a school district to provide
classroom instruction.
(e) "Teacher shortage area" meansdeleted text begin :
deleted text end
deleted text begin
(1) the licensure fields and economic development regions reported by the commissioner
of education as experiencing a teacher shortage; and
deleted text end
deleted text begin (2) economic development regions where there is a shortage of licensed teachers who
reflect the racial or ethnic diversity of students in the region as reported by the commissioner
of educationdeleted text end new text begin a license field, economic development region, or license field within an
economic development region where there is an inadequate supply of elementary or secondary
school teachers, as determined by the Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board,
using data collected for the teacher supply and demand report under section 122A.091,
subdivision 5new text end .
(f) "Commissioner" means the commissioner of the Office of Higher Education unless
indicated otherwise.
new text begin
(g) "Racial or ethnic group underrepresented in the teacher workforce" means a racial
or ethnic group for which the aggregate percentage of Minnesota teachers of that racial or
ethnic group is lower than the aggregate percentage of Minnesota kindergarten through
grade 12 students of that racial or ethnic group.
new text end
Sec. 6.
Minnesota Statutes 2018, section 136A.1791, subdivision 2, is amended to read:
Subd. 2.
Program established; administration.
The commissioner shall establish and
administer a teacher shortage loan forgiveness program. A teacher is eligible for the program
if the teacher is teaching in an identified teacher shortage area under subdivision 3 new text begin or belongs
to a racial or ethnic group underrepresented in the Minnesota teacher workforce new text end and complies
with the requirements of this section.
Sec. 7.
Minnesota Statutes 2018, section 136A.1791, subdivision 3, is amended to read:
Subd. 3.
Use of report on teacher shortage areas.
The deleted text begin commissioner of educationdeleted text end
new text begin Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board new text end shall use new text begin data collected for new text end the teacher
supply and demand report deleted text begin to the legislaturedeleted text end new text begin under section 122A.091, subdivision 5, new text end to
identify deleted text begin the licensure fields and economic development regions in Minnesota experiencing
adeleted text end teacher shortagenew text begin areas as defined in subdivision 1, paragraph (e). The methodology used
to identify shortage areas must be consistent with the methodology used to report teacher
shortage areas to the United States Department of Education. The teacher shortage areas
identified under this subdivision shall be posted on the board's websitenew text end .