1.1 	A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to education; establishing a pilot program for a teacher residency grant; 
1.3 	proposing coding for new law in Minnesota Statutes, chapter 122A; repealing 
1.4 	Minnesota Statutes 2022, section 122A.68.
1.5 	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.6 	Section 1. [122A.67] TEACHER RESIDENCY GRANT PILOT PROGRAM.
1.7 		Subdivision 1.Teacher residency grant pilot program. The purpose of the teacher 
1.8 	residency grant pilot program is to prepare 400 teacher candidates through a robust, 
1.9 	research-based residency model in alignment with Minnesota Rules, part 8705.2100, subpart 
1.10 	2, item D, subitem (5), unit (g).
1.11 		Subd. 2.Residency funding. (a) The Professional Educator Licensing and Standards 
1.12 	Board shall grant to each teacher candidate who participates in the pilot program:
1.13 	(1) $3,000 toward tuition for fiscal year 2024 and $3,000 for fiscal year 2025; and
1.14 	(2) a $40,000 stipend for each grantee for fiscal year 2024 and a $40,000 stipend for 
1.15 	each grantee for fiscal year 2025.
1.16 	(b) The board must grant a $3,500 stipend to each teacher mentor for fiscal year 2024 
1.17 	and a $3,500 stipend for each teacher mentor for fiscal year 2025.
1.18 	(c) The board must award $50,000 in grant awards to develop contracts to provide 
1.19 	technical and administrative support for grantees in fiscal years 2024 and 2025. The board 
1.20 	must issue a request for proposals to develop and implement support for grantees who 
1.21 	participate in the pilot program.
2.1 		Subd. 3.Eligibility. To be eligible to sponsor teacher candidates through the pilot 
2.2 	program, a teacher preparation program must:
2.3 	(1) have established a residency program that includes the following elements:
2.4 	(i) a partnership with a school district or districts;
2.5 	(ii) a cohort-based model that pairs residents with cooperating teachers;
2.6 	(iii) a year-long clinical experience integrating learning opportunities and student teaching 
2.7 	to ensure each resident participates in professional development for at least 80 percent of 
2.8 	the contracted school week; and
2.9 	(iv) ongoing professional development in co-teaching, mentoring, and coaching skills 
2.10 	for each cooperating teacher serving as a teacher of record; and
2.11 	(2) use at least ..... percent of grant funds to support residents who are People of Color 
2.12 	or American Indian.
2.13 		Subd. 4.Grant procedure. (a) A board-approved teacher preparation provider must 
2.14 	apply for a grant under this section in the form and manner specified by the commissioner 
2.15 	of the Office of Higher Education. The commissioner must give priority to providers with 
2.16 	the highest total number or percentage of teacher candidates who are People of Color or 
2.17 	American Indian. The commissioner must give priority to providers with the highest total 
2.18 	number or percentage of teacher candidates who fill shortage areas as defined in section 
2.19 	122A.06, subdivision 6. Applicants who limit resident tuition costs beyond the $3,000 
2.20 	stipend will also receive priority consideration. To the extent that there are sufficient 
2.21 	applications, the commissioner must, to the extent practicable, award an equal number of 
2.22 	grants between districts in greater Minnesota and those in the metropolitan area.
2.23 	(b) For the 2023-2024 school year, grantees may submit program approval requests to 
2.24 	the board for new residency programs. Grant funds may be used for a period of five years.
2.25 		Subd. 5.Partner districts. The partnering district or charter school must agree to support 
2.26 	the pilot program candidates by:
2.27 	(1) providing mentorship and professional development for the candidate aligned to 
2.28 	mentorship and professional development provided to new teachers in the district or charter 
2.29 	school;
2.30 	(2) partnering with the candidate and the teacher preparation program to establish 
2.31 	observations, feedback opportunities, and professional development supports; and
3.1 	(3) providing health and retirement benefits to residents that are equivalent to full-time 
3.2 	teachers.
3.3 		Subd. 6.Residents. A candidate is eligible to participate in the pilot program through 
3.4 	a participating teacher preparation program if the candidate meets the following criteria:
3.5 	(1) the candidate is seeking a first initial license; and
3.6 	(2) the candidate agrees to teach in a partnering district for three years upon licensure, 
3.7 	at the discretion of the district.

3.8 	Sec. 2. APPROPRIATIONS.
 3.9 		Subdivision 1.Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board. The sums 
3.10 	indicated in this section are appropriated from the general fund to the Professional Educator 
3.11 	Licensing and Standards Board for the fiscal years designated.
3.12 		Subd. 2.Teacher residency grant pilot program. (a) The Professional Educator 
3.13 	Licensing and Standards Board may enter into an interagency agreement with the Office 
3.14 	of Higher Education. The agreement may include a transfer of funds to the Office of Higher 
3.15 	Education to help establish and administer the competitive grant process.

3.16		$
	9,637,629
	.....
	2024
	
3.17		$
	9,587,629
	.....
	2025
	
3.18 	(b) The board may retain up to three percent of the appropriation amount in each fiscal 
3.19 	year to monitor and administer the grant program.
3.20 	(c) Any balance in the first year does not cancel but is available in the second year.

3.21 	Sec. 3. REPEALER.
 3.22 	Minnesota Statutes 2022, section 122A.68, is repealed.

APPENDIX 

Repealed Minnesota Statutes: 23-01589 

122A.68 TEACHING RESIDENCY PROGRAM.Subdivision 1.Establishment. 
A school district with a teaching residency plan approved by the Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board may hire graduates of approved Minnesota teacher preparation programs as teaching residents. A district shall employ each resident for one school year. The district and the resident may agree to extend the residency for one additional school year. A school may employ no more than one teaching resident for every eight full-time equivalent licensed teachers. No more than 600 eligible teachers may be employed as teacher residents in any one school year. 

Subd. 2.Teacher eligibility. 
Persons eligible to be hired as teaching residents must have received their initial license no more than two years prior to applying for a residency and must have less than nine months of full-time equivalency teaching experience as a licensed teacher. 

Subd. 3.Program components. 
In order to be approved by the Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board, a school district's residency program must at minimum include: 

(1) training to prepare teachers to serve as mentors to teaching residents; 

(2) a team mentorship approach to expose teaching residents to a variety of teaching methods, philosophies, and classroom environments that includes differentiated instructional strategies, effective use of student achievement data, and support for native and English language development across the curriculum and grade levels, among other things; 

(3) ongoing peer coaching and assessment; 

(4) assistance to the teaching resident in preparing an individual professional development plan that includes goals, activities, and assessment methodologies; and 

(5) collaboration with one or more teacher education institutions, career teachers, and other community experts to provide local or regional professional development seminars or other structured learning experiences for teaching residents. 

A teaching resident's direct classroom supervision responsibilities shall not exceed 80 percent of the instructional time required of a full-time equivalent teacher in the district. During the time a resident does not supervise a class, the resident shall participate in professional development activities according to the individual plan developed by the resident in conjunction with the school's mentoring team. Examples of development activities include observing other teachers, sharing experiences with other teaching residents, and professional meetings and workshops. 

Subd. 4.Employment conditions. 
A school district must pay a teaching resident a salary equal to 90 percent of the salary of a first-year teacher with a bachelor's degree in the district. The resident shall be a member of the local bargaining unit and shall be covered under the terms of the contract, except for salary and benefits, unless otherwise provided in this subdivision. The school district must provide health insurance coverage for the resident if the district provides it for teachers, and may provide other benefits upon negotiated agreement. 

Subd. 5.Applies toward probationary period. 
A teaching residency shall count as one year of a teacher's probationary period under section 122A.40, subdivision 5, or section 122A.41, subdivision 2. A residency extended for one year shall not count as an additional year under this subdivision. 

Subd. 6.Learning and development revenue eligibility. 
A school district with an approved teaching residency program may use learning and development revenue for each teaching resident in kindergarten through grade six. A district also may use the revenue for a paraprofessional who is a person of color enrolled in an approved teacher preparation program. A school district must not use a teaching resident to replace an existing teaching position unless: 

(1) there is no teacher available who is properly licensed to fill the vacancy, who has been placed on unrequested leave of absence in the district, and who wishes to be reinstated; and 

(2) the district's collective bargaining agreement includes a memorandum of understanding that permits teaching residents to fill an existing teaching position. 

Subd. 7.Recommendation for licensure requirements. 
The Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board must develop for teachers of students in prekindergarten through grade 12, model teaching residency outcomes and assessments, and mentoring programs.