1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to education; improving recruitment of 
  1.3             excellent teachers in science, math, industrial 
  1.4             technology, and special education and in rural areas; 
  1.5             establishing a loan forgiveness program; appropriating 
  1.6             money; proposing coding for new law in Minnesota 
  1.7             Statutes, chapter 122A. 
  1.8   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.9      Section 1.  [122A.655] [RECRUITMENT OF EXCELLENT TEACHERS 
  1.10  IN SCIENCE, MATH, INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGY, AND SPECIAL EDUCATION 
  1.11  AND IN RURAL AREAS; LOAN FORGIVENESS PROGRAM.] 
  1.12     Subdivision 1.  [PROGRAM ESTABLISHED; ACCOUNT CREATED.] A 
  1.13  loan forgiveness program is established to assist Minnesota 
  1.14  public schools in recruiting and retaining excellent teachers in 
  1.15  science, math, industrial technology, and special education and 
  1.16  in rural areas.  A loan forgiveness program account is created 
  1.17  in the state treasury.  The account consists of money 
  1.18  appropriated by the legislature and repayments and penalties 
  1.19  collected under subdivision 4.  All money in this account is 
  1.20  annually appropriated to the commissioner and must be used to 
  1.21  repay loans of qualified licensed teachers who agree to teach in 
  1.22  high-need areas under subdivision 2. 
  1.23     Subd. 2.  [ELIGIBILITY; APPLICATION.] (a) To participate in 
  1.24  this program, a person must: 
  1.25     (1) have graduated from an approved teacher preparation 
  1.26  institution within 12 months of submitting an application to the 
  2.1   commissioner to participate in this program; 
  2.2      (2) have a 3.0 grade point average or higher in that 
  2.3   portion of the teacher preparation program affecting licensure 
  2.4   in the field of math, science, industrial technology, or special 
  2.5   education, and be licensed to teach in the field of math, 
  2.6   science, industrial technology, or special education; and 
  2.7      (3) agree to be employed as a teacher for at least three 
  2.8   consecutive school years in one Minnesota public school.  
  2.9      (b) A person who meets the criteria in paragraph (a) and 
  2.10  agrees to be employed as a teacher in a public school located in 
  2.11  Minnesota outside the metropolitan area, as defined in section 
  2.12  473.121, subdivision 2, is eligible to receive an additional 
  2.13  amount of $1,000 per year under subdivision 3. 
  2.14     (c) To be eligible to participate in this program, a person 
  2.15  must submit an application to the commissioner in the form and 
  2.16  manner the commissioner prescribes. 
  2.17     (d) The commissioner shall select applicants that qualify 
  2.18  for this program, notify eligible people about the program, 
  2.19  develop and disseminate application materials, and carry out 
  2.20  other activities needed to implement this section. 
  2.21     Subd. 3.  [LOAN FORGIVENESS.] For fiscal year 2001 and 
  2.22  following, the commissioner may select up to .. teacher 
  2.23  applicants to participate in this program.  Program participants 
  2.24  are responsible for securing their own loans.  Program 
  2.25  participants who meet the criteria in subdivision 2, paragraph 
  2.26  (a), may designate for each year of post-secondary education 
  2.27  leading to a license to teach, up to a total of three years, an 
  2.28  agreed amount, not to exceed $3,000 per year, as a qualified 
  2.29  loan.  Program participants who meet the criteria in subdivision 
  2.30  2, paragraphs (a) and (b), may designate for each year of 
  2.31  post-secondary education leading to a license to teach, up to a 
  2.32  total of three years, an agreed amount not to exceed $4,000 per 
  2.33  year, as a qualified loan.  For each year that a participant is 
  2.34  employed in a school district according to subdivision 2, up to 
  2.35  a total of three years, the commissioner shall annually pay an 
  2.36  amount equal to one year of qualified loans.  
  3.1      Subd. 4.  [PENALTY.] If a teacher participating in this 
  3.2   program does not fulfill the required three years of service in 
  3.3   a qualifying public school for full repayment of all qualified 
  3.4   loans, then the commissioner must collect from the teacher the 
  3.5   amount paid under this loan forgiveness program.  The 
  3.6   commissioner shall deposit the money the commissioner collects 
  3.7   in the loan forgiveness program account under subdivision 1.  
  3.8   The commissioner may grant a waiver for all or part of the money 
  3.9   owed as a result of a penalty if, according to criteria 
  3.10  established by the commissioner, emergency circumstances prevent 
  3.11  the teacher from fulfilling the teacher's three year commitment 
  3.12  to teach. 
  3.13     Sec. 2.  [APPROPRIATION.] 
  3.14     $....... is appropriated from the general fund to the 
  3.15  commissioner of the department of children, families, and 
  3.16  learning in fiscal year 2001 for the loan forgiveness program 
  3.17  account under section 1.