1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to education; expanding learning academy 
  1.3             training to include school media and information 
  1.4             technology professionals and courses on new 
  1.5             technologies; modifying eligibility requirements for 
  1.6             library site technology grants; modifying the database 
  1.7             access program for public libraries and school media 
  1.8             centers; appropriating money; amending Laws 1997, 
  1.9             First Special Session chapter 4, article 9, sections 6 
  1.10            and 7, subdivision 2; Laws 1998, chapter 398, article 
  1.11            9, section 7. 
  1.12  BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.13     Section 1.  Laws 1997, First Special Session chapter 4, 
  1.14  article 9, section 6, is amended to read:  
  1.15     Sec. 6.  [LEARNING ACADEMY.] 
  1.16     Subdivision 1.  [ESTABLISHMENT.] The commissioner shall 
  1.17  develop standards and requirements and certify courses for a 
  1.18  Minnesota learning academy to provide training opportunities for 
  1.19  educators, administrators, school media and information 
  1.20  technology professionals, and librarians in the use of 
  1.21  technology and its integration into learning activities for 
  1.22  meeting the educational needs of all students.  Only certified 
  1.23  classes may be used to fulfill the requirements of the learning 
  1.24  academy. 
  1.25     Subd. 2.  [DEVELOPMENT OF THE LEARNING ACADEMY.] To develop 
  1.26  the learning academy, the commissioner shall consult with 
  1.27  representatives of public schools, higher education, teacher 
  1.28  organizations, students, private business, state agencies, 
  2.1   libraries, and political subdivisions to do the following: 
  2.2      (1) set measures for teacher training opportunities on 
  2.3   technical skills and technology integration skills; 
  2.4      (2) identify and establish outcomes for a series of 
  2.5   training courses that provide for technical skills and 
  2.6   technology classroom integration skills; 
  2.7      (3) identify existing education organizations, public, or 
  2.8   private institutions to develop and provide training courses; 
  2.9      (4) identify and establish outcomes for a series of 
  2.10  training courses on new and emerging technologies to be taught 
  2.11  to school media and information professionals including 
  2.12  technical skills and classroom integration skills to enable the 
  2.13  school media and information specialists to train school staff; 
  2.14     (5) evaluate prerequisites for the classroom integration 
  2.15  skills course; 
  2.16     ~~(5)~~ (6) certify or decertify classes and courses for 
  2.17  inclusion in or exclusion from the learning academy; and 
  2.18     ~~(6)~~ (7) coordinate and make certified classes and courses 
  2.19  available to eligible participants. 
  2.20     Subd. 3.  [FUNDING.] The commissioner shall use available 
  2.21  appropriations to provide start-up and initial operating 
  2.22  subsidies for the learning academy sites.  Appropriated funds 
  2.23  may also be used to partially subsidize costs of attendees of 
  2.24  the academy. 
  2.25     Sec. 2.  Laws 1997, First Special Session chapter 4, 
  2.26  article 9, section 7, subdivision 2, is amended to read: 
  2.27     Subd. 2.  [APPLICATION; ELIGIBILITY.] The commissioner of 
  2.28  children, families, and learning shall establish a process and 
  2.29  application forms for library sites to apply for grant funds.  
  2.30  Libraries must describe how they will cooperate with schools.  
  2.31  An applicant must submit a technology plan with the 
  2.32  application.  Eligible applicants must, at a minimum, describe 
  2.33  how the proposed project is consistent with the technology plan; 
  2.34  describe how it ensures interoperability of hardware, software, 
  2.35  and telecommunication and meets existing Minnesota technical 
  2.36  standards appropriate to the project; identify the specific site 
  3.1   needs that the project will address; define the project's 
  3.2   expected outcomes; and provide the source, type, and amounts of 
  3.3   all matching funds.  To be eligible for a site-based technology 
  3.4   learning grant, a library site must: 
  3.5      (1) be a school library, a public library, or a partnership 
  3.6   of public and school libraries or be a publicly funded or 
  3.7   nonprofit library in partnership with school libraries, public 
  3.8   libraries, or public library systems; 
  3.9      (2) be a member of a regional multicounty, multitype 
  3.10  library cooperation system; 
  3.11     (3) have each dollar of grant money matched by at least $1 
  3.12  of library site money, including in-kind contributions; 
  3.13     ~~(3)~~ (4) agree to disseminate and share information about 
  3.14  its project; 
  3.15     ~~(4)~~ (5) provide a benefit to the greater community; and 
  3.16     ~~(5)~~ (6) maintain any ongoing costs of support for the 
  3.17  technology project after the initial funding under the grant 
  3.18  program. 
  3.19     Sec. 3.  Laws 1998, chapter 398, article 9, section 7, is 
  3.20  amended to read: 
  3.21     Sec. 7.  [DATABASE ACCESS PROGRAM FOR PUBLIC LIBRARIES AND 
  3.22  SCHOOL MEDIA CENTERS.] 
  3.23     Subdivision 1.  [ESTABLISHMENT.] The commissioner of 
  3.24  children, families, and learning and the director of the higher 
  3.25  education services office shall establish a program to provide 
  3.26  statewide licenses to commercial electronic databases of 
  3.27  periodicals, encyclopedias, and associated reference materials 
  3.28  for school media centers ~~and~~, public libraries, state government 
  3.29  agency libraries, and public or private college or university 
  3.30  libraries.  The commissioner, in consultation with Minitex and 
  3.31  in cooperation with the Library Planning Task Force, shall 
  3.32  solicit proposals for access licenses to commercial vendors of 
  3.33  the databases.  Responses to those proposals shall be evaluated 
  3.34  by staff of the office of library development and services in 
  3.35  the department of children, families, and learning, Minitex 
  3.36  staff, and a representative panel of librarians and school media 
  4.1   specialists ~~and public librarians~~. 
  4.2      Subd. 2.  [ELIGIBILITY.] Access to the selected databases 
  4.3   shall be made available to a ~~school or school district that is a~~ 
  4.4   ~~member of a multicounty, multitype library system as defined in~~ 
  4.5   ~~Minnesota Statutes, section 134.001, subdivision 6, or a public~~ 
  4.6   ~~library as defined in Minnesota Statutes, section 134.001,~~ 
  4.7   ~~subdivision 2, that is a member of a multicounty, multitype~~ 
  4.8   ~~library system~~ school media center or library that is eligible 
  4.9   to participate in MnLink.  With appropriate authentication any 
  4.10  user of ~~an eligible library~~ a school media center or library 
  4.11  that is eligible to participate in MnLink may have access to the 
  4.12  databases from a remote site. 
  4.13     ~~Subd. 3.  [RESOURCE GRANTS.] Graduation rule resource~~ 
  4.14  ~~grants are available for the purposes of this section.~~ 
  4.15     Sec. 4.  [APPROPRIATIONS.] 
  4.16     Subdivision 1.  [DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN, FAMILIES, AND 
  4.17  LEARNING.] The sums indicated in this section are appropriated 
  4.18  from the general fund to the department of children, families, 
  4.19  and learning for the fiscal years designated. 
  4.20     Subd. 2.  [LIBRARY SITE TECHNOLOGY GRANT PROGRAM.] For 
  4.21  library site technology grants: 
  4.22       $3,500,000     .....     2000 
  4.23       $3,500,000     .....     2001 
  4.24     Up to 2.5 percent of the appropriation may be used by the 
  4.25  department of children, families, and learning for the 
  4.26  administration of the grant program.  
  4.27     Subd. 3.  [DATABASE ACCESS PROGRAM.] For the database 
  4.28  access program for public libraries and school media centers 
  4.29  under section 3: 
  4.30       $1,474,000     .....     2000 
  4.31       $1,474,000     .....     2001 
  4.32     Subd. 4.  [LEARNING ACADEMY.] For training and staff 
  4.33  development under section 1:  
  4.34       $5,000,000     .....     2000 
  4.35       $5,000,000     .....     2001 
  4.36     $200,000 in 2000 and $100,000 in 2001 is for training for 
  5.1   public library workers.