1.1 	A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to education; providing for innovative delivery of career and technical 
1.3 	education programs and sharing of district resources;amending Laws 2012, chapter 
1.4 	263, section 1, as amended.
1.5 	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.6 	Section 1. Laws 2012, chapter 263, section 1, as amended by Laws 2014, chapter 312, 
1.7 	article 15, section 24, is amended to read:
1.8 	Section 1. INNOVATIVE DELIVERY OF CAREER AND TECHNICAL 
1.9 	EDUCATION PROGRAMS AND SERVICES AND SHARING OF DISTRICT 
1.10 	RESOURCES~~; PILOT PROJECT~~.
 1.11 		Subdivision 1.Establishment; requirements for participation. (a) A ~~pilot project~~
1.12 	program is established to improve student, career and college readiness, and school outcomes 
1.13 	by allowing groups of school districts to work together in partnership with local and regional 
1.14 	postsecondary institutions and programs, community institutions, and other private, public, 
1.15 	for-profit, and nonprofit workplace partners, to: (1) provide innovative education programs 
1.16 	and activities that integrate core academic and career and technical subjects in students' 
1.17 	programs of study through coordinated secondary and postsecondary career and technical 
1.18 	programs leading to an industry certification or other credential; (2) provide embedded 
1.19 	professional development for program participants; (3) use performance assessments in 
1.20 	authentic settings to measure students' technical skills and progress toward attaining an 
1.21 	industry certification or other credential; and (4) efficiently share district, institution, and 
1.22 	workplace resources. ~~The pilot project may last until June 30, 2018, or for up to five years,~~ 
2.1 	~~whichever is less, except that innovation partnerships formed during the period of the pilot~~ 
2.2 	~~project may continue past June 30, 2018, with the agreement of the partnership members.~~
2.3 	(b) To participate in this ~~pilot project~~ program to improve student, career and college 
2.4 	readiness, and school outcomes, a group of two or more school districts must collaborate 
2.5 	with school staff and project partners and receive formal school board approval to form a 
2.6 	partnership. The partnership must develop a plan to provide challenging programmatic 
2.7 	options for students under paragraph (a), create professional development opportunities for 
2.8 	educators and other program participants, increase student engagement and connection and 
2.9 	challenging learning opportunities for diverse populations of students that are focused on 
2.10 	employability skills and technical, job-specific skills related to a specific career pathway, 
2.11 	or demonstrate efficiencies in delivering financial and other services needed to realize plan 
2.12 	goals and objectives. The plan must ~~establish~~ include:
2.13 	(1) collaborative educational goals and objectives;
2.14 	(2) strategies and processes to implement those goals and objectives, including a budget 
2.15 	process with periodic expenditure reviews;
2.16 	(3) valid and reliable measures including performance assessments in authentic settings 
2.17 	and progress toward attaining an industry certification or other credential, among other 
2.18 	measures, to evaluate progress in realizing the goals and objectives;
2.19 	(4) an implementation timeline; and
2.20 	(5) other applicable conditions, regulations, responsibilities, duties, provisions, fee 
2.21 	schedules, and legal considerations needed to fully implement the plan.
2.22 	A partnership may invite additional districts or other participants under paragraph (a) 
2.23 	to join the partnership ~~during the pilot project term~~ after notifying the commissioner.
2.24 	(c) A partnership of interested districts must ~~apply by February 1 of any year~~ submit an 
2.25 	application to the education commissioner in the form and manner the commissioner 
2.26 	determines, consistent with the requirements of this section. The application must contain 
2.27 	the formal approval adopted by the school board in each district to participate in the plan.
2.28 	(d) Notwithstanding other law to the contrary, a participating school district under this 
2.29 	section continues to: receive revenue and maintain its taxation authority; be organized and 
2.30 	governed by an elected school board with general powers under Minnesota Statutes, section 
2.31 	123B.02; and be subject to employment agreements under Minnesota Statutes, chapter 
2.32 	122A, and Minnesota Statutes, section 179A.20; and district employees continue to remain 
2.33 	employees of the employing school district.
3.1 	(e) Participating districts must submit a biennial report by February 1 in each 
3.2 	odd-numbered year to the education committees of the legislature and the education 
3.3 	commissioner that includes performance assessment, high school graduation, and career 
3.4 	and technical certification data to show the success of the partnership in preparing diverse 
3.5 	populations of students for careers and jobs.
3.6 		Subd. 2.Commissioner's role. Interested groups of school districts must submit a 
3.7 	completed application to the commissioner ~~by March 1 of~~ in any year in the form and manner 
3.8 	determined by the commissioner. The education commissioner must convene an advisory 
3.9 	panel ~~composed of a teacher appointed by Education Minnesota, a school principal appointed~~ 
3.10 	~~by the Minnesota Association of Secondary School Principals, a school board member~~ 
3.11 	~~appointed by the Minnesota School Boards Association, and a school superintendent~~ 
3.12 	~~appointed by the Minnesota Association of School Administrators~~ to advise the commissioner 
3.13 	on applicants' qualifications to participate in this ~~pilot project~~ program. The commissioner 
3.14 	~~may select up to six qualified applicants under subdivision 1 by April 1 of any year to~~ 
3.15 	~~participate in this pilot project, ensuring~~ must ensure an equitable geographical distribution 
3.16 	of ~~project~~ program participants to the extent practicable. The commissioner must select only 
3.17 	those applicants that fully comply with the requirements in subdivision 1. The commissioner 
3.18 	~~must~~ may terminate a ~~project~~ program participant that fails to effectively implement the 
3.19 	goals and objectives contained in its application and according to its stated timeline.
3.20 		~~Subd. 3.Pilot project evaluation.~~ ~~Participating school districts must submit pilot project~~ 
3.21 	~~data to the commissioner in the form and manner determined by the commissioner. The~~ 
3.22 	~~education commissioner must analyze participating districts' progress in realizing their~~ 
3.23 	~~educational goals and objectives to work together in providing innovative education programs~~ 
3.24 	~~and activities and sharing resources. The commissioner must include the analysis of best~~ 
3.25 	~~practices in a report to the legislative committees with jurisdiction over kindergarten through~~ 
3.26 	~~grade 12 education finance and policy on the efficacy of this pilot project. The commissioner~~ 
3.27 	~~shall submit an interim project report by February 1, 2016, and must submit a final report~~ 
3.28 	~~to the legislature by February 1, 2019, recommending whether or not to continue or expand~~ 
3.29 	~~the pilot project.~~

3.30 	EFFECTIVE DATE. (a) This section is effective the day following final enactment 
3.31 	and applies to those applications submitted after that date.
3.32 	(b) Districts already approved for an innovation zone pilot project may continue to 
3.33 	operate under Laws 2012, chapter 263, section 1, as amended by Laws 2014, chapter 312, 
3.34 	article 15, section 24.