1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to education; addressing the state's teacher 
  1.3             shortage; providing for the mentoring of new teachers 
  1.4             in order to improve instruction and retain qualified 
  1.5             teachers; improving recruitment of excellent teachers 
  1.6             in science, math, industrial technology, and special 
  1.7             education and in rural areas; establishing a loan 
  1.8             repayment program; providing for rulemaking; 
  1.9             appropriating money; proposing coding for new law in 
  1.10            Minnesota Statutes, chapter 122A. 
  1.11  BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.12     Section 1.  [122A.653] [MENTORING PROGRAM FOR PROBATIONARY 
  1.13  TEACHERS; PROGRAM FUNDING.] 
  1.14     Subdivision 1.  [PROGRAM ESTABLISHED.] A school district, 
  1.15  an intermediate district, a special education cooperative, and a 
  1.16  state residential school must establish a mentoring program to 
  1.17  provide support and training for probationary teachers in the 
  1.18  teachers' area of licensure.  A school district and an 
  1.19  intermediate district must provide the program at both the 
  1.20  school site and district level.  A school board must use the 
  1.21  revenue under subdivision 2 to provide the mentoring program for 
  1.22  all the probationary teachers in the district. 
  1.23     Subd. 2.  [ACCOUNT ESTABLISHED; REVENUE TRANSFER.] Of a 
  1.24  district's basic revenue under section 126C.10, subdivision 2, 
  1.25  an amount equal to $....... for each probationary teacher 
  1.26  employed in the district must be reserved by the district for 
  1.27  operating the mentoring program for probationary teachers under 
  1.28  subdivision 1.  A district must use the revenue only to provide 
  2.1   mentoring for its probationary teachers.  The amounts in the 
  2.2   account are appropriated to the commissioner to make payments 
  2.3   according to this section.  
  2.4      <b>[EFFECTIVE DATE.]</b> This section is effective July 1, 2001. 
  2.5      Sec. 2.  [122A.655] [RECRUITMENT OF EXCELLENT TEACHERS IN 
  2.6   SCIENCE, MATH, INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGY, AND SPECIAL EDUCATION AND 
  2.7   IN RURAL AREAS; LOAN REPAYMENT PROGRAM.] 
  2.8      Subdivision 1.  [PROGRAM ESTABLISHED; ACCOUNT CREATED.] A 
  2.9   loan repayment program is established to assist Minnesota public 
  2.10  schools in recruiting and retaining excellent teachers in the 
  2.11  fields of science, math, industrial technology, and special 
  2.12  education, and in rural areas.  A loan repayment program account 
  2.13  is created in the state treasury.  The account consists of money 
  2.14  appropriated by the legislature for loan repayments.  All money 
  2.15  in this account is annually appropriated to the higher education 
  2.16  services office and must be used to repay loans of qualified 
  2.17  licensed teachers who teach in high-need curricular and 
  2.18  geographic areas under subdivision 2. 
  2.19     Subd. 2.  [ELIGIBILITY; APPLICATION.] (a) To participate in 
  2.20  this program, a person must: 
  2.21     (1) have graduated from an approved teacher preparation 
  2.22  institution within 12 months of submitting an application to the 
  2.23  higher education services office to participate in this program; 
  2.24  and 
  2.25     (2) have a 3.0 grade point average or higher in that 
  2.26  portion of the teacher preparation program affecting licensure 
  2.27  in the field of math, science, industrial technology, or special 
  2.28  education, and be licensed to teach in the field of math, 
  2.29  science, industrial technology, or special education. 
  2.30     (b) A person who has a 3.0 grade point average in that 
  2.31  portion of the teacher preparation program or certification 
  2.32  process affecting licensure in the field of math, science, 
  2.33  industrial technology, or special education also may participate 
  2.34  in this program if the person is a teacher: 
  2.35     (1) who is licensed to teach science, math, industrial 
  2.36  technology, or special education and is employed to teach for 
  3.1   the first time in a Minnesota school district or is placed on 
  3.2   unrequested leave of absence pursuant to section 122A.40, 
  3.3   subdivision 10 or 11, or is terminated on account of 
  3.4   discontinuance of position or lack of pupils pursuant to section 
  3.5   122A.41, subdivision 14, or whose contract as a probationary 
  3.6   teacher is nonrenewed pursuant to section 122A.40 or 122A.41, 
  3.7   and is employed by another school district to teach science, 
  3.8   math, industrial technology, or special education; or 
  3.9      (2) with continuing contract or tenure rights who received 
  3.10  certification to teach in the field of science, math, industrial 
  3.11  technology, or special education within 12 months of submitting 
  3.12  an application to the higher education services office to 
  3.13  participate in this program.  
  3.14     (c) A person who meets the criteria in paragraph (a) or (b) 
  3.15  and is employed as a teacher in a public school located in 
  3.16  Minnesota outside the metropolitan area, as defined in section 
  3.17  473.121, subdivision 2, is eligible to receive an additional 
  3.18  loan repayment amount of up to $2,000 per year under subdivision 
  3.19  3. 
  3.20     (d) To be eligible to participate in this program, a person 
  3.21  must submit an application to the higher education services 
  3.22  office in the form and manner the higher education services 
  3.23  office prescribes.  The person must be employed as a teacher for 
  3.24  at least three consecutive school years in a Minnesota public 
  3.25  school.  
  3.26     (e) The higher education services office shall ensure that 
  3.27  applicants are qualified for this program, notify eligible 
  3.28  people about the program, develop and disseminate application 
  3.29  materials, and carry out other activities needed to implement 
  3.30  this section. 
  3.31     Subd. 3.  [LOAN REPAYMENT.] (a) For fiscal year 2002 and 
  3.32  following, the higher education services office may select up to 
  3.33  .. teacher applicants to participate in this program.  Program 
  3.34  participants are responsible for securing their own loans.  For 
  3.35  each year that a participant is employed in a school district 
  3.36  according to subdivision 2, up to a total of three years, the 
  4.1   higher education services office shall pay the following loan 
  4.2   repayment amounts for the costs a participant incurred for a 
  4.3   post-secondary education leading to a license to teach:  
  4.4      (1) at the end of the first successfully completed school 
  4.5   year, if the teacher meets the criteria of subdivision 2, 
  4.6   paragraph (a) or (b), up to $1,000, and if the teacher meets the 
  4.7   criteria of subdivision 2, paragraphs (a) or (b) and (c), up to 
  4.8   $3,000; 
  4.9      (2) at the end of the second successfully completed school 
  4.10  year, if the teacher meets the criteria of subdivision 2, 
  4.11  paragraph (a) or (b), up to $3,000, and if the teacher meets the 
  4.12  criteria of subdivision 2, paragraphs (a) or (b) and (c), up to 
  4.13  $5,000; and 
  4.14     (3) at the end of the third successfully completed school 
  4.15  year, if the teacher meets the criteria of subdivision 2, 
  4.16  paragraph (a) or (b), up to $5,000, and if the teacher meets the 
  4.17  criteria of subdivision 2, paragraphs (a) or (b) and (c), up to 
  4.18  $7,000. 
  4.19     (b) The higher education services office shall make 
  4.20  payments according to paragraph (a).  The annual and total 
  4.21  payment amounts must not exceed the amount of the participant's 
  4.22  loan.  
  4.23     Subd. 4.  [RULES.] The higher education services office 
  4.24  shall adopt rules to administer this loan repayment program 
  4.25  consistent with its authority under section 136A.01, subdivision 
  4.26  2, clause (8).  
  4.27     <b>[EFFECTIVE DATE.]</b> This section is effective July 1, 2001. 
  4.28     Sec. 3.  [APPROPRIATION; HESO.] 
  4.29     $....... is appropriated from the general fund to the 
  4.30  higher education services office in fiscal year 2002 for the 
  4.31  loan repayment program account under section 1. 
  4.32     <b>[EFFECTIVE DATE.]</b> This section is effective July 1, 2001. 
  4.33     Sec. 4.  [APPROPRIATIONS.] 
  4.34     Subdivision 1.  [DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN, FAMILIES, AND 
  4.35  LEARNING.] The sums indicated in this section are appropriated 
  4.36  from the general fund to the commissioner of children, families, 
  5.1   and learning for the designated fiscal years. 
  5.2      Subd. 2.  [PROBATIONARY TEACHERS' MENTORING PROGRAM; SCHOOL 
  5.3   DISTRICTS.] For the mentoring program to provide support and 
  5.4   training for probationary teachers in the teachers' area of 
  5.5   licensure under Minnesota Statutes, section 122A.653, 
  5.6   subdivision 2: 
  5.7        $.,...,...     .....     2002 
  5.8   This appropriation is available until June 30, 2003.
  5.9      Subd. 3.  [PROBATIONARY TEACHERS' MENTORING PROGRAM; 
  5.10  INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL DISTRICTS; SPECIAL EDUCATION COOPERATIVES; 
  5.11  STATE RESIDENTIAL SCHOOLS.] For the mentoring program to provide 
  5.12  support and training for probationary teachers in the teachers' 
  5.13  area of licensure under Minnesota Statutes, section 122A.653, 
  5.14  subdivision 1: 
  5.15       $.,...,...     .....     2002 
  5.16  An intermediate school district, a special education 
  5.17  cooperative, and a state residential school must submit to the 
  5.18  commissioner timely information certifying the number of 
  5.19  probationary teachers eligible to receive mentoring under 
  5.20  Minnesota Statutes, section 122A.653, subdivision 1.  Upon 
  5.21  receiving the certified number, the commissioner shall allocate 
  5.22  an amount equal to $....... for each probationary teacher 
  5.23  employed by the intermediate school district, special education 
  5.24  cooperative, or state residential school.  The intermediate 
  5.25  school district, special education cooperative, and state 
  5.26  residential school must use this appropriation only to provide 
  5.27  mentoring to its probationary teachers.  The commissioner must 
  5.28  allocate the appropriation on a first-come, first-served basis 
  5.29  until the appropriation is expended.  This appropriation is 
  5.30  available until June 30, 2003. 
  5.31     <b>[EFFECTIVE DATE.]</b> This section is effective July 1, 2001.