1.1                          A bill for an act
  1.2             relating to education; allowing certification through 
  1.3             the national board for professional teaching standards 
  1.4             to satisfy licensure renewal requirements; 
  1.5             establishing a grant program to promote professional 
  1.6             teaching standards; appropriating money; amending 
  1.7             Minnesota Statutes 1996, section 125.05, subdivision 2.
  1.8   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.9      Section 1.  Minnesota Statutes 1996, section 125.05, 
  1.10  subdivision 2, is amended to read: 
  1.11     Subd. 2.  [EXPIRATION AND RENEWAL.] (a) Each license ~~issued~~ 
  1.12  the department of children, families, and learning issues 
  1.13  through ~~the~~ its licensing section ~~of the department of children,~~ 
  1.14  ~~families, and learning~~ must bear the date of issue.  Licenses 
  1.15  must expire and be renewed ~~in accordance with~~ according to the 
  1.16  respective rules ~~adopted by~~ the board of teaching or the state 
  1.17  board of education adopts.  Requirements for ~~renewal of~~ renewing 
  1.18  a license must include ~~production of~~ showing satisfactory 
  1.19  evidence of successful teaching experience for at least one 
  1.20  school year during the period covered by the license in grades 
  1.21  or subjects for which the license is valid or ~~completion of~~ 
  1.22  completing such additional preparation as the board of 
  1.23  teaching ~~shall prescribe~~ prescribes.  The state board of 
  1.24  education shall establish requirements for ~~renewal of~~ renewing 
  1.25  the licenses of supervisory personnel ~~must be established by the~~ 
  1.26  ~~state board of education~~.  
  2.1      (b) The board of teaching shall offer alternative 
  2.2   continuing relicensure options for teachers who are accepted 
  2.3   into and complete the national board for professional teaching 
  2.4   standards certification process, and offer additional continuing 
  2.5   relicensure options for teachers who earn national board for 
  2.6   professional teaching standards certification.  Continuing 
  2.7   relicensure requirements for teachers who do not maintain 
  2.8   national board for professional teaching standards certification 
  2.9   are those the board prescribes.  
  2.10     Sec. 2.  [GRANT PROGRAM TO PROMOTE PROFESSIONAL TEACHING 
  2.11  STANDARDS THROUGH THE NATIONAL BOARD FOR PROFESSIONAL TEACHING 
  2.12  STANDARDS.] 
  2.13     Subdivision 1.  [ESTABLISHMENT.] A grant program to promote 
  2.14  professional teaching standards through the national board for 
  2.15  professional teaching standards for fiscal year 1998 is 
  2.16  established to provide eligible teachers with the opportunity to 
  2.17  receive national board for professional teaching standards 
  2.18  certification and to reward teachers who have already received 
  2.19  such certification. 
  2.20     Subd. 2.  [ELIGIBILITY.] An applicant for a grant must be a 
  2.21  licensed K-12 school teacher employed in a state school.  To be 
  2.22  eligible for a grant, the teacher must have been employed as a 
  2.23  teacher for a minimum of five school years and demonstrate 
  2.24  either that the national board for professional teaching 
  2.25  standards has accepted the teacher as a candidate for board 
  2.26  certification or that the teacher already has received board 
  2.27  certification. 
  2.28     Subd. 3.  [APPLICATION PROCESS.] To obtain a grant to 
  2.29  participate in the national board for professional teaching 
  2.30  standards certification process or to receive a reward for 
  2.31  already completing the board certification process, a teacher 
  2.32  must submit an application to the commissioner of children, 
  2.33  families, and learning in the form and manner the commissioner 
  2.34  establishes.  The applicant must demonstrate either that the 
  2.35  national board for professional teaching standards has accepted 
  2.36  the teacher as a candidate for board certification or that the 
  3.1   teacher already has received board certification.  The 
  3.2   commissioner shall consult with the state board of teaching when 
  3.3   reviewing the applications. 
  3.4      Subd. 4.  [GRANT AWARDS; PROCEEDS.] (a) The commissioner 
  3.5   may award up to 100 grants of $500 each to eligible teachers 
  3.6   accepted as candidates for national board for professional 
  3.7   teaching standards certification.  Grant recipients shall use 
  3.8   the grant to participate in the certification process.  Within 
  3.9   24 months of receiving certification, a grant recipient must 
  3.10  satisfactorily complete one year of teaching service in a state 
  3.11  public school or repay the state the amount of the grant, except 
  3.12  if the commissioner determines that death or disability prevents 
  3.13  the grant recipient from providing the one year of teaching 
  3.14  service. 
  3.15     (b) The commissioner may award up to ..... grants to 
  3.16  eligible teachers who have already completed the national board 
  3.17  for professional teaching standards certification process to 
  3.18  reward their effort.  The amount of each grant shall not exceed 
  3.19  $1,500 and the commissioner shall establish criteria to 
  3.20  determine the actual amount of each grant.  Grant recipients 
  3.21  shall use the grant proceeds for educational purposes, including 
  3.22  purchasing instructional materials, equipment, or supplies and 
  3.23  realizing professional development opportunities.  
  3.24     Sec. 3.  [APPROPRIATIONS.] 
  3.25     $400,000 in fiscal year 1998 is appropriated from the 
  3.26  general fund to the commissioner of children, families, and 
  3.27  learning for the purpose of section 2. 
  3.28     $150,000 of this appropriation shall be used to award 
  3.29  grants to eligible teachers accepted as candidates for national 
  3.30  board of professional teachers certification for paying 
  3.31  two-thirds of the cost to participate in the certification 
  3.32  program. 
  3.33     $150,000 of this appropriation shall be used to award 
  3.34  grants to eligible teachers who have already completed the 
  3.35  national board of professional teachers certification process 
  3.36  for purchasing instructional materials, equipment, or supplies 
  4.1   and realizing professional development opportunities. 
  4.2      $100,000 of this appropriation may be used by the 
  4.3   commissioner to pay for four half-time state coordinators that 
  4.4   recruit and assist teacher candidates.  The state coordinators 
  4.5   shall be licensed K-12 public school teachers.  
  4.6      Any appropriation remaining in the first year does not 
  4.7   cancel and is available in the second year.