2006 Minnesota Statutes

122A.63 GRANTS TO PREPARE INDIAN TEACHERS.
    Subdivision 1. Establishment. A grant program is established to assist American Indian
people to become teachers and to provide additional education for American Indian teachers. The
commissioner may award a joint grant to each of the following:
(1) the Duluth campus of the University of Minnesota and Independent School District
No. 709, Duluth;
(2) Bemidji State University and Independent School District No. 38, Red Lake;
(3) Moorhead State University and one of the school districts located within the White
Earth Reservation; and
(4) Augsburg College, Independent School District No. 625, St. Paul, and Special School
District No. 1, Minneapolis.
    Subd. 2. Application. To obtain a joint grant, a joint application must be submitted to the
commissioner of education. The application must be developed with the participation of the
parent advisory committee, established according to section 124D.78, and the Indian advisory
committee at the postsecondary institution. The joint application shall set forth:
(1) the in-kind, coordination, and mentorship services to be provided by the postsecondary
institution; and
(2) the coordination and mentorship services to be provided by the school district.
    Subd. 3. Review and comment. The commissioner must submit the joint application to the
American Indian Education Committee for review and comment.
    Subd. 4. Grant amount. The commissioner may award a joint grant in the amount it
determines to be appropriate. The grant shall include money for the postsecondary institution,
school district, student scholarships, and student loans.
    Subd. 5. Information to student applicants. At the time a student applies for a scholarship
and loan, the student shall be provided information about the fields of licensure needed by school
districts in the part of the state within which the district receiving the joint grant is located.
The information shall be acquired and periodically updated by the recipients of the joint grant.
Information provided to students shall clearly state that scholarship and loan decisions are not
based upon the field of licensure selected by the student.
    Subd. 6. Eligibility for scholarships and loans. The following Indian people are eligible
for scholarships:
(1) a student, including a teacher aide employed by a district receiving a joint grant, who
intends to become a teacher and who is enrolled in a postsecondary institution receiving a joint
grant;
(2) a licensed employee of a district receiving a joint grant, who is enrolled in a master
of education program; and
(3) a student who, after applying for federal and state financial aid and an Indian scholarship
according to section 124D.84, has financial needs that remain unmet. Financial need shall be
determined according to the congressional methodology for needs determination or as otherwise
set in federal law.
A person who has actual living expenses in addition to those addressed by the congressional
methodology for needs determination, or as otherwise set in federal law, may receive a loan
according to criteria established by the commissioner. A contract shall be executed between the
state and the student for the amount and terms of the loan.
    Subd. 7. Loan forgiveness. The loan may be forgiven if the recipient is employed as a
teacher, as defined in section 122A.40 or 122A.41, in an eligible school or program in Minnesota.
One-fourth of the principal of the outstanding loan amount shall be forgiven for each year
of eligible employment, or a pro rata amount for eligible employment during part of a school
year, part-time employment as a substitute teacher, or other eligible part-time teaching. Loans
for $2,500 or less may be forgiven at the rate of up to $1,250 per year. The following schools
and programs are eligible for the purposes of loan forgiveness:
(1) a school or program operated by a school district;
(2) a tribal contract school eligible to receive aid according to section 124D.83;
(3) a Head Start program;
(4) an early childhood family education program;
(5) a program providing educational services to children who have not entered kindergarten;
or
(6) a program providing educational enrichment services to American Indian students in
grades kindergarten through 12.
If a person has an outstanding loan obtained through this program, the duty to make
payments of principal and interest may be deferred during any time period the person is enrolled
at least one-half time in an advanced degree program in a field that leads to employment by a
school district. To defer loan obligations, the person shall provide written notification to the
commissioner of education and the recipients of the joint grant that originally authorized the loan.
Upon approval by the commissioner and the joint grant recipients, payments shall be deferred.
The Minnesota Office of Higher Education shall approve the loan forgiveness program, loan
deferral, and procedures to administer the program.
    Subd. 8. Revolving fund. The Indian teacher preparation loan repayment revolving account
is established in the state treasury. Any amounts repaid or contributed by a teacher who received
a scholarship or loan under this program shall be deposited in the account. All money in the
account is annually appropriated to the commissioner of education and shall be used to enable
Indian students to participate in the program.
History: 1991 c 265 art 3 s 17; 1992 c 499 art 3 s 11; 1995 c 212 art 3 s 59; 1Sp1995 c
3 art 3 s 7,8; 1998 c 397 art 8 s 87-89,101; art 11 s 3; 1998 c 398 art 5 s 55; 2003 c 130 s 12;
1Sp2003 c 9 art 2 s 11; 2005 c 107 art 2 s 60