1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to education; modifying a teacher grant 
  1.3             program to promote professional teaching standards; 
  1.4             providing for a school district grant program to 
  1.5             promote professional teaching standards; appropriating 
  1.6             money; amending Laws 1997, First Special Session 
  1.7             chapter 4, article 5, section 22, as amended. 
  1.8   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.9      Section 1.  Laws 1997, First Special Session chapter 4, 
  1.10  article 5, section 22, as amended by Laws 1999, chapter 241, 
  1.11  article 9, section 46, is amended to read: 
  1.12     Sec. 22.  [TEACHER GRANT PROGRAM TO PROMOTE PROFESSIONAL 
  1.13  TEACHING STANDARDS.] 
  1.14     Subdivision 1.  [ESTABLISHMENT.] A teacher grant program to 
  1.15  promote professional teaching standards through the national 
  1.16  board for professional teaching standards is established to 
  1.17  provide eligible teachers with the opportunity to receive 
  1.18  national board for professional teaching standards certification 
  1.19  and to reward teachers who have already received such 
  1.20  certification. 
  1.21     Subd. 2.  [ELIGIBILITY.] An applicant for a grant must be a 
  1.22  licensed K-12 school teacher employed in a state school.  To be 
  1.23  eligible for a grant, the teacher must have been employed as a 
  1.24  teacher for a minimum of five school years and demonstrate 
  1.25  either that the national board for professional teaching 
  1.26  standards has accepted the teacher as a candidate for board 
  2.1   certification or that the teacher already has received board 
  2.2   certification. 
  2.3      Subd. 3.  [APPLICATION PROCESS.] To obtain a grant to 
  2.4   participate in the national board for professional teaching 
  2.5   standards certification process or to receive a reward for 
  2.6   already completing the board certification process, a teacher 
  2.7   must submit an application to the commissioner of children, 
  2.8   families, and learning in the form and manner the commissioner 
  2.9   establishes.  The applicant must demonstrate either that the 
  2.10  national board for professional teaching standards has accepted 
  2.11  the teacher as a candidate for board certification or that the 
  2.12  teacher already has received board certification.  The 
  2.13  commissioner shall consult with the state board of teaching when 
  2.14  reviewing the applications. 
  2.15     Subd. 4.  [GRANT AWARDS; PROCEEDS.] (a) The commissioner 
  2.16  may award matching grants of up to $1,000 each for eligible 
  2.17  teachers who ~~provide a matching amount through collaboration~~ 
  2.18  ~~with either a school district, professional organization, or~~ 
  2.19  ~~both and~~ are accepted as candidates for national board for 
  2.20  professional teaching standards certification provided that any 
  2.21  grant money is matched by an individual school district, 
  2.22  professional organization, or the candidate.  The grant award 
  2.23  shall be paid to the national board for professional teaching 
  2.24  standards in the teacher's name.  Within 24 months of receiving 
  2.25  certification, a grant recipient must satisfactorily complete 
  2.26  the certification process or repay the state the amount of the 
  2.27  grant, except if the commissioner determines that death or 
  2.28  disability prevents the grant recipient from providing the one 
  2.29  year of teaching service. 
  2.30     (b) The commissioner may award grants to eligible teachers 
  2.31  who have earned national board for professional teaching 
  2.32  standards certification.  The amount of each grant shall not 
  2.33  exceed ~~$1,000~~ $3,500 and the commissioner shall establish 
  2.34  criteria to determine the actual amount of each grant.  Grant 
  2.35  recipients shall use the grant proceeds for educational 
  2.36  purposes~~, including purchasing instructional materials,~~ 
  3.1   ~~equipment, or supplies and~~ or realizing professional development 
  3.2   opportunities. 
  3.3      (c) A grant recipient who received a $1,000 grant under 
  3.4   this section before July 1, 2001, is eligible for an additional 
  3.5   grant not to exceed $2,500 upon earning recertification. 
  3.6      Subd. 5.  [REGIONAL COORDINATORS.] The state shall provide 
  3.7   the equivalent of ~~four~~ one full-time and five half-time regional 
  3.8   coordinators ~~with two located in the seven-county metropolitan~~ 
  3.9   ~~area and two located in greater Minnesota.  $25,000 per year,~~ 
  3.10  ~~for the first two years only, shall be provided to cover~~ 
  3.11  ~~expenses of the regional coordinators including, but not limited~~ 
  3.12  ~~to, travel, meetings, web page maintenance, and cost related to~~ 
  3.13  ~~supporting candidate's expenses.  After the first two~~ 
  3.14  ~~years,~~ located throughout the state.  Individual school 
  3.15  districts must negotiate with the exclusive representative of 
  3.16  the teachers in the district for coordinator positions. 
  3.17     Sec. 2.  [SCHOOL DISTRICT GRANT PROGRAM TO PROMOTE 
  3.18  PROFESSIONAL TEACHING STANDARDS.] 
  3.19     Subdivision 1.  [ESTABLISHMENT.] A school district grant 
  3.20  program to promote professional teaching standards through the 
  3.21  national board for professional teaching standards is 
  3.22  established for school districts to enable national board 
  3.23  certified teachers under section 1 to mentor, coach, or 
  3.24  coordinate noncertified teachers in the school district or 
  3.25  advance national board for professional teaching standards 
  3.26  initiatives. 
  3.27     Subd. 2.  [APPLICATION.] An applicant for a grant must be a 
  3.28  school district.  To obtain a grant to promote professional 
  3.29  teaching standards, a school district must submit an application 
  3.30  to the commissioner of children, families, and learning in the 
  3.31  form and manner the commissioner prescribes. 
  3.32     Subd. 3.  [GRANT AWARDS.] The commissioner may award grants 
  3.33  to school districts of $3,000 per national board certified 
  3.34  teacher to enable national board for professional teaching 
  3.35  standards certified teachers to mentor, coach, or coordinate 
  3.36  teachers in high-need schools, or to advance national board for 
  4.1   professional teaching standards initiatives in the district.  A 
  4.2   district shall award a grant of $1,000 to the teacher and shall 
  4.3   use $2,000 for support costs related to the teacher's work.  A 
  4.4   district receiving a grant shall provide an annual report of 
  4.5   progress and outcomes to the commissioner. 
  4.6      Sec. 3.  [APPROPRIATION.] 
  4.7      $1,560,000 is appropriated from the general fund to the 
  4.8   commissioner of children, families, and learning for grant 
  4.9   awards for national board for professional teaching standards 
  4.10  certification and for regional coordinators to counsel and 
  4.11  assist teacher candidates for certification under section 1, and 
  4.12  for the costs of certified teachers serving as mentors and 
  4.13  coaches and to advance professional teaching standard 
  4.14  initiatives under section 2.