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SF 2097

1st Engrossment - 88th Legislature (2013 - 2014) Posted on 03/25/2014 08:18am

KEY: stricken = removed, old language.
underscored = added, new language.

Current Version - 1st Engrossment

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A bill for an act
relating to education finance; eliminating the early childhood education
scholarship cap; creating an elementary learning pilot program; amending
Minnesota Statutes 2013 Supplement, section 124D.165, subdivisions 3, 4, by
adding a subdivision; Laws 2013, chapter 116, article 8, section 5, subdivision 8.

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

Section 1.

Minnesota Statutes 2013 Supplement, section 124D.165, subdivision 3,
is amended to read:


Subd. 3.

Administration.

(a) The commissioner shall establish application
timelines and determine the schedule for awarding scholarships that meets operational
needs of eligible families and programs. The commissioner may prioritize applications on
factors including family income, geographic location, and whether the child's family is on a
waiting list for a publicly funded program providing early education or child care services.

(b) Scholarships may be awarded deleted text begin updeleted text end to deleted text begin $5,000 fordeleted text end each eligible childnew text begin . The
commissioner shall establish a target for the average scholarship amount per child
based on the results of the rate survey conducted under section 119B.13, subdivision 1,
paragraph (b),
new text end per year.

(c) A four-star rated program that has children eligible for a scholarship enrolled
in or on a waiting list for a program beginning in July, August, or September may notify
the commissioner, in the form and manner prescribed by the commissioner, each year
of the program's desire to enhance program services or to serve more children than
current funding provides. The commissioner may designate a predetermined number of
scholarship slots for that program and notify the program of that number.

(d) A scholarship is awarded for a 12-month period. If the scholarship recipient has
not been accepted and subsequently enrolled in a rated program within ten months of the
awarding of the scholarship, the scholarship cancels and the recipient must reapply in
order to be eligible for another scholarship. A child may not be awarded more than one
scholarship in a 12-month period.

(e) A child who receives a scholarship who has not completed development
screening under sections 121A.16 to 121A.19 must complete that screening within 90
days of first attending an eligible program.

new text begin EFFECTIVE DATE. new text end

new text begin This section is effective the day following final enactment.
new text end

Sec. 2.

Minnesota Statutes 2013 Supplement, section 124D.165, subdivision 4, is
amended to read:


Subd. 4.

Early childhood program eligibility.

(a) In order to be eligible to accept
an early childhood education scholarship, a program must:

(1) participate in the quality rating and improvement system under section
124D.142; and

(2) beginning July 1, 2016, have a three- or four-star rating in the quality rating
and improvement system.

(b) Any program accepting scholarships must use the revenue to supplement and not
supplant federal funding.

new text begin (c) Notwithstanding paragraph (a), all Minnesota early learning foundation
scholarship program pilot sites are eligible to accept an early learning scholarship under
this section.
new text end

Sec. 3.

Minnesota Statutes 2013 Supplement, section 124D.165, is amended by adding
a subdivision to read:


new text begin Subd. 6. new text end

new text begin Program funding. new text end

new text begin (a) Beginning in fiscal year 2016, the annual baseline
appropriation for this program equals the lesser of:
new text end

new text begin (1) twice the appropriation for the previous year; or
new text end

new text begin (2) the actual amount necessary to fund all eligible scholarship requests.
new text end

new text begin (b) There is annually appropriated from the general fund to the commissioner of
education the amount necessary for early education scholarships according to paragraph
(a). This amount must be reduced by the amount of any money specifically appropriated
for the same purpose in any year from any state fund.
new text end

new text begin EFFECTIVE DATE. new text end

new text begin This section is effective the day following final enactment.
new text end

Sec. 4.

Laws 2013, chapter 116, article 8, section 5, subdivision 8, is amended to read:


Subd. 8.

Early childhood education scholarships.

For transfer to the Office of
Early Learning for early learning scholarships under Minnesota Statutes, section 124D.165:

$
23,000,000
.....
2014
$
deleted text begin 23,000,000
deleted text end new text begin 63,000,000
new text end
.....
2015

Up to $950,000 each year is for administration of this program.

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

new text begin EFFECTIVE DATE. new text end

new text begin This section is effective July 1, 2014.
new text end

Sec. 5. new text begin LEARNING MENTORSHIP PILOT PROGRAM.
new text end

new text begin Subdivision 1. new text end

new text begin Establishment. new text end

new text begin For fiscal years 2015 through 2017, the
commissioner of education shall develop a learning mentorship pilot program to improve
achievement using volunteer mentorships that provides one-on-one advice and training to
students who need educational assistance.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 2. new text end

new text begin Pilot site selection. new text end

new text begin The commissioner shall select five school districts to
serve as pilot sites. The pilot sites must include three school districts whose administrative
offices are located in the seven-county metropolitan area, one school district whose
administrative offices are not located in the seven-county metropolitan area, and one
district where a majority of the students served are American Indian children. Two of the
eligible school districts located in the seven-county metropolitan area must have their
administrative offices located in a city of the first class. The commissioner may select
existing programs as pilot sites.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 3. new text end

new text begin Student selection. new text end

new text begin Pilot sites are solely responsible for determining which
students in the pilot site school district are paired with mentors. Pilot sites must develop
a selection method to pair students who need additional one-on-one assistance with
volunteer mentors. Students who need additional assistance with academic achievement
should be given preference for being paired with a mentor. Students may be mentored for
any portion of the school year, as determined by the pilot site and the mentor.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 4. new text end

new text begin Mentorship criteria. new text end

new text begin Each pilot site must select volunteer mentors who
will work with students who need additional one-on-one assistance to improve educational
achievement. Each pilot site is solely responsible for overseeing its mentors and ensuring
that the mentor's work conforms with the site's academic program. Each pilot site may
determine the appropriate number of mentors and how each mentor interacts with students.
Mentors must act as individual advisors and assist with individual academic performance
throughout the school year. At a minimum, mentors shall work with each student at least
three hours per week. Mentors may work with students in the evenings and during the
summer. Each pilot site must agree to allow mentors to work individually with students to
advise students and to help improve each student's achievement. Mentors must work with
each student's teacher to ensure that the mentorship guidance that is provided conforms to
each teacher's lesson plan and curriculum. Pilot sites must be willing to allow mentors to
work during the school day or after school with students needing additional assistance.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 5. new text end

new text begin Funding. new text end

new text begin In each year, the commissioner shall allocate 20 percent of the
grant allocation to each pilot site. Each pilot site's grant allocation must be used to identify,
select, and train mentors to work individually with students who are in need of achievement
improvement. Grant allocations may also be used to purchase academic materials and to
provide food and drink for students who are being mentored after the regular school day.
The pilot site must agree to a financial and academic reporting mechanism determined by
the commissioner for the purposes of preparing the report in subdivision 6.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 6. new text end

new text begin Report. new text end

new text begin By January 15, 2018, the commissioner shall report to the
legislative committees in the legislature with responsibility for education finance on the
effectiveness of the learning mentorship pilot project. At a minimum, the report shall
evaluate the extent to which mentorship improved achievement and attendance, reduced
the achievement gap, and improved students' interest in learning. The report shall also
examine mentorship techniques that proved successful.
new text end

Sec. 6. new text begin APPROPRIATION.
new text end

new text begin Subdivision 1. new text end

new text begin Department of Education. new text end

new text begin The sums indicated in this section are
appropriated from the general fund to the Department of Education for the fiscal years
designated.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 2. new text end

new text begin Learning mentorship pilot project. new text end

new text begin For learning mentorship pilot project
grants and administration:
new text end

new text begin $
new text end
new text begin 1,500,000
new text end
new text begin ....
new text end
new text begin 2015
new text end

new text begin The Department of Education may retain up to five percent of this appropriation for
administration of the pilot project.
new text end

new text begin The base for fiscal years 2016 and 2017 is $1,500,000 each year. The base for
fiscal year 2018 and later is $0.
new text end

Sec. 7. new text begin APPROPRIATION.
new text end

new text begin Subdivision 1. new text end

new text begin Board of the Arts. new text end

new text begin The sums indicated in this section are
appropriated from the general fund to the Board of the Arts for the fiscal years designated.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 2. new text end

new text begin Arts education. new text end

new text begin For arts education in partnership with the President's
Turnaround Arts Initiative:
new text end

new text begin $
new text end
new text begin 600,000
new text end
new text begin ....
new text end
new text begin 2015
new text end

new text begin The base for fiscal year 2016 is $600,000. The base in fiscal year 2017 and thereafter
is $0.
new text end