1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to education finance; appropriating money to 
  1.3             promote professional teaching standards; amending Laws 
  1.4             1997, First Special Session chapter 4, article 5, 
  1.5             section 22, subdivision 4, as amended. 
  1.6   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.7      Section. 1.  Laws 1997, First Special Session chapter 4, 
  1.8   article 5, section 22, subdivision 4, as amended by Laws 1999, 
  1.9   chapter 241, article 9, section 46, is amended to read: 
  1.10     Subd. 4.  [GRANT AWARDS; PROCEEDS.] (a) The commissioner 
  1.11  may award matching grants of $1,000 each for eligible teachers 
  1.12  who provide a matching amount through collaboration with either 
  1.13  a school district, professional organization, or both and are 
  1.14  accepted as candidates for national board for professional 
  1.15  teaching standards certification.  The grant award shall be paid 
  1.16  to the national board for professional teaching standards in the 
  1.17  teacher's name.  Within 24 months of receiving certification, a 
  1.18  grant recipient must satisfactorily complete the certification 
  1.19  process or repay the state the amount of the grant, except if 
  1.20  the commissioner determines that death or disability prevents 
  1.21  the grant recipient from providing the one year of teaching 
  1.22  service. 
  1.23     (b) The commissioner may award grants to eligible teachers 
  1.24  who have earned national board for professional teaching 
  1.25  standards certification on or after November 1, 2001.  The 
  2.1   amount of each grant shall not exceed ~~$1,000~~ $2,500 and the 
  2.2   commissioner shall establish criteria to determine the actual 
  2.3   amount of each grant.  Grant recipients shall use the grant 
  2.4   proceeds for educational purposes, including purchasing 
  2.5   instructional materials, equipment, or supplies and realizing 
  2.6   professional development opportunities.  
  2.7      Sec. 2.  [PROFESSIONAL TEACHING STANDARDS; APPROPRIATION.] 
  2.8      The following sums are appropriated from the general fund 
  2.9   to the commissioner of children, families, and learning in the 
  2.10  fiscal years indicated for grants to promote and reward high 
  2.11  professional teaching standards: 
  2.12       $612,500     .....     2004
  2.13       $612,500     .....     2005
  2.14     Of these amounts, $300,000 each year is for grants to 
  2.15  teachers applying for national board for professional teaching 
  2.16  standards certification, and $312,500 each year is for resource 
  2.17  grants. 
  2.18     Any balance in the first year does not cancel but is 
  2.19  available in the second year.