Legislative Session number- 81

Bill Name: SF2216

Providing for teacher recruitment and retention; delaying the deadline for the
board of teaching to adopt rules requiring successful completion of examinations
of general pedagogical knowledge and of licensure specific teaching skills for
teacher licensure purposes; authorizing the board to issue substitute teacher
licenses to persons enrolled and making satisfactory progress in board approved
teaching programs and successfully completing student teaching; requiring
college and university teacher preparation programs to include certain reading
strategies; providing for teacher licensing by reciprocity; clarifying the
probationary period; prohibiting the reduction of retirement benefits for
retired teachers holding valid licenses and returning to teaching part time;
authorizing the transfer of retirement benefits for teachers changing districts
of employment; establishing the teacher loan forgiveness program in the
department of children, families and learning to assist communities experiencing
a shortage of teachers with recruitment and retention, establishing the teacher
loan forgiveness program account for loan repayment purposes, requiring the
commissioner to develop procedures to implement the program, specifying school
district qualification and teacher eligibility requirements, imposing a
repayment penalty on teachers failing to fulfill the length of service
requirement; establishing the Minnesota new teacher project in the department to
retain new teachers in the profession and to provide models for supporting
professional development, specifying certain participating district project plan
requirements and providing a state match; requiring the commissioner to survey
school districts and report biennially to the legislature on the status of the
teacher shortage; establishing a pilot program to allow school districts in
collaboration with public post-secondary institutions offering approved teacher
training programs to offer undergraduate and graduate teacher training
opportunities, specifying district eligibility requirements, program uses and
employment terms, prescribing the application process and program participant
selection criteria, requiring a start up costs award, authorizing post-secondary
institutions participating in the program to charge students the costs of
tuition, requiring the commissioner to contract with an independent qualified
expert to evaluate the impact of the pilot program on teacher efficacy and
student performance and report to the commissioner and the legislature by a
certain date; encouraging the Minnesota state colleges and universities and the
university of Minnesota to set aside a portion of higher education teacher
education resources for teacher preparation programs committed to meeting the
projected teacher shortages; requiring the board of teaching to communicate with
school districts on the procedures available for expediting the hiring of
substitute teachers; appropriating money to MnSCU for an urban teacher
preparation program at metropolitan state university and to the department for
the teacher loan forgiveness and training pilot programs, for the clearinghouse
of best educational practices, for the new teacher project and for teachers of
color programs (mk)