1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to education; creating an increased 
  1.3             student-teacher contact time grant program; awarding a 
  1.4             grant to independent school district No. 138, North 
  1.5             Branch; appropriating money. 
  1.6   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.7      Section 1.  [INCREASED STUDENT-TEACHER CONTACT TIME GRANT 
  1.8   PROGRAM.] 
  1.9      Subdivision 1.  [ESTABLISHMENT.] A grant program is 
  1.10  established to assist school districts in developing model 
  1.11  programs designed to increase student-teacher contact time. 
  1.12     Subd. 2.  [EXPECTED OUTCOMES AND GRANT USES.] Grant 
  1.13  recipients shall use the funds for programs designed to enable 
  1.14  teachers to focus on providing instruction, rather than on 
  1.15  nonacademic matters, in order to improve student achievement in 
  1.16  grades kindergarten through 6.  Grant proceeds may be used to: 
  1.17     (1) restructure the school day to increase the amount of 
  1.18  instructional time in core subjects; 
  1.19     (2) reduce class sizes by 50 percent for at least one 
  1.20  period per day; 
  1.21     (3) increase the use of teaching residents as part of the 
  1.22  classroom teaching team; 
  1.23     (4) assist parents, local agencies, and other community 
  1.24  resources in taking responsibility for nonacademic matters, 
  1.25  including school bus safety and violence prevention, to reduce 
  2.1   the burden on teachers; and 
  2.2      (5) fund other related programs identified by the site 
  2.3   council. 
  2.4      Subd. 3.  [GRANT ELIGIBILITY, APPLICATIONS, AND AWARDS.] A 
  2.5   school district may apply for a grant.  The commissioner of 
  2.6   education shall prescribe the form and manner of applications 
  2.7   and may award grants to applicants likely to meet the outcomes 
  2.8   in subdivision 2.  Grant applications must contain the current 
  2.9   basic skills performance level of students at the school site, a 
  2.10  description of the proposed methods to be used to improve 
  2.11  achievement, and the expected increases in achievement 
  2.12  anticipated as a result of the grant. 
  2.13     Subd. 4.  [NUMBER OF TEACHING RESIDENTS.] Notwithstanding 
  2.14  Minnesota Statutes, section 125.230, under this program a 
  2.15  district may employ one teaching resident for every four 
  2.16  full-time equivalent licensed teachers. 
  2.17     Subd. 5.  [REPORT.] Grantees shall report annually to the 
  2.18  commissioner of education on the effectiveness of the program, 
  2.19  including the actual increase in contact time and changes in 
  2.20  student performance. 
  2.21     Sec. 2.  [APPROPRIATION.] 
  2.22     Subdivision 1.  [DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION.] The sums 
  2.23  indicated in this section are appropriated from the general fund 
  2.24  to the department of education in the fiscal year indicated. 
  2.25     Subd. 2.  [STUDENT-TEACHER CONTACT TIME GRANTS.] For grants 
  2.26  according to section 1: 
  2.27        $1,000,000      .......      1996 
  2.28        $1,000,000      .......      1997 
  2.29     The commissioner of education shall award at least four 
  2.30  grants each fiscal year, distributed among urban, suburban, and 
  2.31  rural districts.  Independent school district No. 138, North 
  2.32  Branch, shall receive a grant the first year.  Grants shall not 
  2.33  exceed $200,000 each.  The amount appropriated in 1996 does not 
  2.34  cancel and is available until June 30, 1997.