1.1 	A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to education; requiring continued funding for alternative teacher 
1.3 	professional pay system; removing certain restrictions on distribution of staff 
1.4 	development revenue by school districts; exempting certain school districts 
1.5 	participating in alternative teacher professional pay system from two percent 
1.6 	set-aside for staff development;amending Minnesota Statutes 2006, sections 
1.7 	122A.414, subdivision 1; 122A.60, subdivisions 1, 3; 122A.61, subdivision 1.
1.8 	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.9 	Section 1. Minnesota Statutes 2006, section 122A.414, subdivision 1, is amended to 
1.10 	read:
1.11 		Subdivision 1.Restructured pay system. A restructured alternative teacher 
1.12 	professional pay system is established under subdivision 2 to provide incentives to 
1.13 	encourage teachers to improve their knowledge and instructional skills in order to improve 
1.14 	student learning and for school districts, intermediate school districts, and charter schools 
1.15 	to recruit and retain highly qualified teachers, encourage highly qualified teachers to 
1.16 	undertake challenging assignments, and support teachers' roles in improving students' 
1.17 	educational achievement. The restructured alternative teacher professional pay system 
1.18 	must be continually state funded at least at the fiscal year 2007 appropriation amount for 
1.19 	school districts, intermediate school districts, and charter schools to be able to continue 
1.20 	supporting and retaining highly qualified teachers to fill roles or remain in roles that are 
1.21 	necessary for successful student learning and high academic achievement.

1.22 	Sec. 2. Minnesota Statutes 2006, section 122A.60, subdivision 1, is amended to read:
1.23 		Subdivision 1.Staff development committee. A school board must use the 
1.24 	revenue authorized in section 122A.61 for in-service education for programs under 
2.1 	section 120B.22, subdivision 2, or for staff development plans under this section. The 
2.2 	board ~~must~~may establish an advisory staff development committee to ~~develop the~~assist 
2.3 	in the development of a staff development plan for approval by the board, to assist site 
2.4 	professional development teams in developing ~~a~~ site ~~plan~~ plans consistent with the goals 
2.5 	of the staff development plan approved by the board, and to evaluate staff development 
2.6 	efforts at the site level. A majority of the advisory committee and the site professional 
2.7 	development team ~~must~~ should be teachers representing various grade levels, subject 
2.8 	areas, and special education. The advisory committee must also include nonteaching 
2.9 	staff, parents, and administrators.

2.10 	EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective July 1, 2007.

2.11 	Sec. 3. Minnesota Statutes 2006, section 122A.60, subdivision 3, is amended to read:
2.12 		Subd. 3.Staff development outcomes. The board, after review of the 
2.13 	recommendations of the advisory staff development committee, if any, must adopt a staff 
2.14 	development plan for improving student achievement. The plan must be consistent with 
2.15 	education outcomes that the school board determines. The plan must include ongoing staff 
2.16 	development activities that contribute toward continuous improvement in achievement of 
2.17 	the following goals:
2.18 	(1) improve student achievement of state and local education standards in all areas 
2.19 	of the curriculum by using best practices methods;
2.20 	(2) effectively meet the needs of a diverse student population, including at-risk 
2.21 	children, children with disabilities, and gifted children, within the regular classroom 
2.22 	and other settings;
2.23 	(3) provide an inclusive curriculum for a racially, ethnically, and culturally diverse 
2.24 	student population that is consistent with the state education diversity rule and the district's 
2.25 	education diversity plan;
2.26 	(4) improve staff collaboration and develop mentoring and peer coaching programs 
2.27 	for teachers new to the school or district;
2.28 	(5) effectively teach and model violence prevention policy and curriculum that 
2.29 	address early intervention alternatives, issues of harassment, and teach nonviolent 
2.30 	alternatives for conflict resolution; and
2.31 	(6) provide teachers and other members of site-based management teams with 
2.32 	appropriate management and financial management skills.

2.33 	EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective July 1, 2007.

3.1 	Sec. 4. Minnesota Statutes 2006, section 122A.61, subdivision 1, is amended to read:
3.2 		Subdivision 1.Staff development revenue. A district is required to reserve 
3.3 	an amount equal to at least two percent of the basic revenue under section 126C.10, 
3.4 	subdivision 2, for in-service education for programs under section 120B.22, subdivision 
3.5 	2, for staff development plans, including plans for challenging instructional activities 
3.6 	and experiences under section 122A.60, and for curriculum development and programs, 
3.7 	other in-service education, teachers' workshops, teacher conferences, the cost of 
3.8 	substitute teachers staff development purposes, preservice and in-service education for 
3.9 	special education professionals and paraprofessionals, and other related costs for staff 
3.10 	development efforts. A district may annually waive the requirement to reserve ~~their~~ its
3.11 	basic revenue under this section if a majority vote of the licensed teachers in the district 
3.12 	and a majority vote of the school board agree to a resolution to waive the requirement. 
3.13 	A district in statutory operating debt or a district participating in an alternative teacher 
3.14 	professional pay system that has spent a minimum of two percent of its annual budget 
3.15 	for staff development under section 122A.414 is exempt from reserving basic revenue 
3.16 	according to this section. Districts may expend an additional amount of unreserved 
3.17 	revenue for staff development based on their needs. ~~With the exception of amounts~~ 
3.18 	~~reserved for staff development from revenues allocated directly to school sites, the~~ 
3.19 	~~board must initially allocate 50 percent of the reserved revenue to each school site in~~ 
3.20 	~~the district on a per teacher basis, which must be retained by the school site until used.~~ 
3.21 	~~The board may retain 25 percent to be used for district wide staff development efforts.~~ 
3.22 	~~The remaining 25 percent of the revenue must be used to make grants to school sites for~~ 
3.23 	~~best practices methods. A grant~~ The revenue appropriated by the school board may be 
3.24 	used for any purpose authorized under section 120B.22, subdivision 2, 122A.60, or for 
3.25 	the costs of curriculum development and programs, other in-service education, teachers' 
3.26 	workshops, teacher conferences, substitute teachers for staff development purposes, and 
3.27 	other staff development efforts~~, and determined by the site professional development~~ 
3.28 	~~team~~. ~~The~~ A site professional development team must demonstrate to the school board the 
3.29 	extent to which staff at the site have met the outcomes of the program. The board may 
3.30 	withhold ~~a portion of initial allocation of~~ the revenue if the board determines that the staff 
3.31 	development outcomes are not being met. 

3.32 	EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective July 1, 2007.