2006 Minnesota Statutes

124D.29 CAREER TEACHER.
    Subdivision 1. Status. A family connections program may include a career teacher,
principal-teacher, and counselor teacher component. The career teacher, principal-teacher, and
counselor teacher must not be the exclusive teacher for students assigned to them but shall serve
as a primary teacher and perform the function of developing and implementing a student's overall
learning and development program. The career teacher, principal-teacher, and counselor teacher
may be responsible for regular assignments as well as learning and development programs for
other assigned students.
    Subd. 2. Qualifications. (a) An individual employed as a career teacher must be licensed as
a teacher and shall be considered a teacher as defined in section 179A.03, subdivision 18, for
purposes of chapter 179A.
(b) An individual employed as a principal teacher must be licensed as a principal and
shall be considered a principal, as defined in section 179A.03, subdivision 12, for purposes of
chapter 179A.
(c) An individual employed as a counselor teacher must be licensed as a counselor and
shall be considered a teacher, as defined in section 179A.03, subdivision 18, for purposes of
chapter 179A.
    Subd. 3. Staff/student ratio. (a) Except as provided in paragraph (b), one career teacher,
principal-teacher, or counselor teacher shall be assigned for every 125 students. For each special
education student included in the assignment, the 1:125 ratio must be reduced by one.
(b) One principal-teacher shall be assigned for every 50 students when the principal-teacher
is also the principal of the school.
    Subd. 4. Selection; renewal. (a) The board must establish procedures for teachers, principals,
and counselors to apply for the position of career teacher, principal-teacher, or counselor teacher.
The authority for selection of career teachers, principal-teachers, and counselor teachers is
vested in the board and no individual shall have a right to employment as a career teacher,
principal-teacher, or counselor teacher based on seniority or order of employment in the district.
(b) Employment of the career teacher, principal-teacher, and counselor teacher may be on a
12-month basis with vacation time negotiated individually with the board. The annual contract of
a career teacher, principal-teacher, or counselor teacher may not be renewed, as the board shall
see fit. The board must give any teacher whose contract as a career teacher, principal-teacher,
or counselor teacher it declines to renew for the following year written notice to that effect
before April 15. If the board fails to renew the contract of a career teacher, principal-teacher, or
counselor teacher, that individual must be reinstated to another position in the district if eligible
pursuant to section 122A.40 or 122A.41.
    Subd. 5. Duties. The career teacher, principal-teacher, and counselor teacher is responsible
for:
(1) the overall education, learning, and development plan of assigned students. The career
teacher, principal-teacher, and counselor teacher must design this plan with the student, parents,
and other faculty, and must seek to maximize the learning and development potential and
maturation level of each pupil;
(2) measuring the proficiency of the assigned students and assisting other staff in identifying
pupil needs and making appropriate educational and subject groupings;
(3) when part of the district's plan, taking responsibility for the parent and early childhood
education of assigned students;
(4) designing and being responsible for program components which meet special learning
needs of high potential and talented students;
(5) coordinating the ongoing, year-to-year learning and development program for assigned
students; and
(6) developing learning and development portfolios.
History: 1981 c 358 art 6 s 11; 1983 c 314 art 9 s 12; 1984 c 462 s 27; 1986 c 444; 1989
c 329 art 7 s 19; 1989 c 356 s 49; 1991 c 130 s 37; 1996 c 412 art 4 s 17; 1998 c 397 art 3 s
88-91,103; art 11 s 3