| 1 | 1 | | 1.1 A bill for an act |
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| 2 | 2 | | 1.2 relating to higher education; strengthening the Increase Teachers of Color Act in |
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| 3 | 3 | | 1.3 higher education; making permanent a pilot scholarship program for aspiring |
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| 4 | 4 | | 1.4 teachers of color; establishing a special revenue fund account; modifying provisions |
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| 5 | 5 | | 1.5 of the teacher shortage loan repayment program; appropriating money; amending |
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| 6 | 6 | | 1.6 Minnesota Statutes 2022, section 136A.1791, subdivisions 2, 5; Laws 2021, First |
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| 7 | 7 | | 1.7 Special Session chapter 2, article 2, section 45. |
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| 8 | 8 | | 1.8BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: |
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| 9 | 9 | | 1.9 Section 1. Minnesota Statutes 2022, section 136A.1791, subdivision 2, is amended to |
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| 10 | 10 | | 1.10read: |
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| 11 | 11 | | 1.11 Subd. 2.Program established; administration.(a) The commissioner shall establish |
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| 12 | 12 | | 1.12and administer a teacher shortage loan repayment program. |
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| 13 | 13 | | 1.13 (b) The commissioner must establish an application deadline and give equal consideration |
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| 14 | 14 | | 1.14to all applicants regardless of the order the application was received before the deadline. |
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| 15 | 15 | | 1.15 (c) If the funds available for the program are insufficient to make full awards to eligible |
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| 16 | 16 | | 1.16applicants, the commissioner must prioritize awards as follows: |
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| 17 | 17 | | 1.17 (1) to applicants with the greatest financial need, taking into consideration the applicant's |
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| 18 | 18 | | 1.18income, household size, total qualified educational loan debt, and other relevant factors; |
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| 19 | 19 | | 1.19and |
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| 20 | 20 | | 1.20 (2) to applicants meeting more than one of the three eligibility categories in subdivision |
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| 21 | 21 | | 1.213a. |
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| 22 | 22 | | 1Section 1. |
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| 23 | 23 | | REVISOR JFK/AD 23-0120001/03/23 |
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| 24 | 24 | | State of Minnesota |
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| 25 | 25 | | This Document can be made available |
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| 26 | 26 | | in alternative formats upon request |
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| 27 | 27 | | HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES |
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| 28 | 28 | | H. F. No. 381 |
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| 29 | 29 | | NINETY-THIRD SESSION 2.1 (d) The commissioner must ensure an equitable distribution of student loan repayment |
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| 30 | 30 | | 2.2funds to teachers across all economic development regions using a method determined by |
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| 31 | 31 | | 2.3the commissioner. Funds reserved under paragraph (e) must be allocated separately. |
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| 32 | 32 | | 2.4 (e) So long as the aggregate percentage of teachers of color and American Indian teachers |
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| 33 | 33 | | 2.5in the state, as determined by the Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board, is |
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| 34 | 34 | | 2.6lower than the aggregate percentage of kindergarten through grade 12 students of color and |
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| 35 | 35 | | 2.7kindergarten through grade 12 American Indian students in the state, as determined by the |
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| 36 | 36 | | 2.8commissioner of education under section 120B.35, subdivision 3, the commissioner must |
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| 37 | 37 | | 2.9reserve a percentage of the loan forgiveness program's available funds for those teachers |
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| 38 | 38 | | 2.10eligible for loan forgiveness because they belong to a racial or ethnic group underrepresented |
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| 39 | 39 | | 2.11in the teacher workforce. The percentage reserved under this paragraph must be equal to or |
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| 40 | 40 | | 2.12greater than the aggregate percentage of kindergarten through grade 12 students of color |
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| 41 | 41 | | 2.13and kindergarten through grade 12 American Indian students in the state, as determined by |
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| 42 | 42 | | 2.14the commissioner of education under section 120B.35, subdivision 3. Funds reserved under |
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| 43 | 43 | | 2.15this paragraph must be considered separately for purposes of prioritizing awards under |
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| 44 | 44 | | 2.16paragraph (c). The amount reserved under this paragraph seeks to improve all students' |
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| 45 | 45 | | 2.17access to effective and diverse teachers under sections 120B.11 and 124D.861. |
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| 46 | 46 | | 2.18 Sec. 2. Minnesota Statutes 2022, section 136A.1791, subdivision 5, is amended to read: |
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| 47 | 47 | | 2.19 Subd. 5.Amount of loan repayment.(a) To the extent funding is available, the |
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| 48 | 48 | | 2.20maximum annual amount of a teacher shortage loan repayment award for an approved |
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| 49 | 49 | | 2.21applicant is as follows: |
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| 50 | 50 | | 2.22 (1) for an applicant meeting only one of the three eligibility categories under subdivision |
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| 51 | 51 | | 2.233a, the maximum award amount shall not exceed $1,000 $2,000 or the cumulative balance |
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| 52 | 52 | | 2.24of the applicant's qualified educational loans, including principal and interest, whichever |
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| 53 | 53 | | 2.25amount is less.; and |
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| 54 | 54 | | 2.26 (2) for an applicant meeting two or more of the three eligibility categories under |
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| 55 | 55 | | 2.27subdivision 3a, the maximum award amount shall not exceed $4,000 or the cumulative |
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| 56 | 56 | | 2.28balance of the applicant's qualified educational loans, including principal and interest, |
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| 57 | 57 | | 2.29whichever amount is less. |
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| 58 | 58 | | 2.30 (b) Recipients must secure their own qualified educational loans. Teachers who graduate |
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| 59 | 59 | | 2.31from an approved teacher preparation program or teachers who add a licensure field, |
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| 60 | 60 | | 2.32consistent with the teacher shortage requirements of this section, are eligible to apply for |
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| 61 | 61 | | 2.33the loan repayment program. |
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| 62 | 62 | | 2Sec. 2. |
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| 63 | 63 | | REVISOR JFK/AD 23-0120001/03/23 3.1 (c) No teacher shall receive more than five annual awards. |
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| 64 | 64 | | 3.2 Sec. 3. Laws 2021, First Special Session chapter 2, article 2, section 45, is amended to |
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| 65 | 65 | | 3.3read: |
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| 66 | 66 | | 3.4 Sec. 45. ASPIRING MINNESOTA TEACHERS OF COLOR SCHOLARSHIP |
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| 67 | 67 | | 3.5PILOT PROGRAM. |
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| 68 | 68 | | 3.6 Subdivision 1.Scholarship pilot program established.The commissioner must establish |
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| 69 | 69 | | 3.7a scholarship pilot program to support undergraduate and graduate students who are preparing |
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| 70 | 70 | | 3.8to become teachers, have demonstrated financial need, and belong to racial or ethnic groups |
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| 71 | 71 | | 3.9underrepresented in the state's teacher workforce. |
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| 72 | 72 | | 3.10 Subd. 2.Eligibility.(a) To be eligible for a scholarship under this section, an applicant |
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| 73 | 73 | | 3.11must: |
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| 74 | 74 | | 3.12 (1) either be admitted and enrolled in a teacher preparation program approved by the |
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| 75 | 75 | | 3.13Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board and be seeking initial licensure,; or |
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| 76 | 76 | | 3.14be enrolled in an eligible institution under section 136A.103 and be completing a two-year |
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| 77 | 77 | | 3.15program specifically designed to prepare early childhood educators an associate's degree |
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| 78 | 78 | | 3.16in early childhood education, education, or special education; |
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| 79 | 79 | | 3.17 (2) affirm to the teacher preparation program or the Office of Higher Education that the |
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| 80 | 80 | | 3.18applicant is a person of color or American Indian; |
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| 81 | 81 | | 3.19 (3) be meeting satisfactory academic progress as defined under section 136A.101, |
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| 82 | 82 | | 3.20subdivision 10; and |
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| 83 | 83 | | 3.21 (4) demonstrate financial need based on criteria developed by the commissioner. |
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| 84 | 84 | | 3.22 (b) An eligible applicant may receive a scholarship award more than once, but may |
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| 85 | 85 | | 3.23receive a total of no more than $25,000 $30,000 in scholarship awards from the program. |
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| 86 | 86 | | 3.24 (c) An applicant may apply for both a scholarship under this section and an |
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| 87 | 87 | | 3.25underrepresented student teacher grant under section 136A.1274, but may not receive an |
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| 88 | 88 | | 3.26award from both programs during the same academic semester or term unless there are |
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| 89 | 89 | | 3.27sufficient funds appropriated to support all eligible applicants. |
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| 90 | 90 | | 3.28 Subd. 3.Scholarship award amount.(a) The commissioner must establish a priority |
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| 91 | 91 | | 3.29application deadline and must give equal consideration to all eligible applicants regardless |
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| 92 | 92 | | 3.30of the applicant's attended institution or the order the application was received before the |
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| 93 | 93 | | 3.31priority application deadline. If the funds available for the program are insufficient to make |
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| 94 | 94 | | 3Sec. 3. |
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| 95 | 95 | | REVISOR JFK/AD 23-0120001/03/23 4.1full awards to all eligible applicants who apply on or before the deadline, the commissioner |
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| 96 | 96 | | 4.2must make awards based on the expected family contribution Student Aid Index of an |
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| 97 | 97 | | 4.3applicant, prioritizing applicants with the lowest expected family contributions Student Aid |
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| 98 | 98 | | 4.4Indexes. If there are multiple complete applications with identical expected family |
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| 99 | 99 | | 4.5contributions Student Aid Indexes, those applications may be prioritized by application |
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| 100 | 100 | | 4.6completion date. |
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| 101 | 101 | | 4.7 (b) For eligible applicants enrolled in a teacher preparation program as part of a |
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| 102 | 102 | | 4.8baccalaureate or postbaccalaureate degree program, the maximum award amount is $10,000 |
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| 103 | 103 | | 4.9per year for full-time study. For eligible applicants enrolled in an associate's degree program, |
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| 104 | 104 | | 4.10the maximum award amount is $6,000 per year for full-time study. For undergraduate |
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| 105 | 105 | | 4.11students, full-time study means enrollment in a minimum of 15 or more credits per term. |
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| 106 | 106 | | 4.12For graduate students, full-time study means enrollment in a minimum of six graduate |
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| 107 | 107 | | 4.13credits or the equivalent. |
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| 108 | 108 | | 4.14 (c) If an eligible applicant is enrolled full time in a program for only one term during |
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| 109 | 109 | | 4.15the academic year, the applicant may receive no more than half the applicable maximum |
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| 110 | 110 | | 4.16award amount is $5,000. If an eligible applicant is enrolled part time, the award amount |
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| 111 | 111 | | 4.17must be prorated on a per-credit basis. |
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| 112 | 112 | | 4.18 (d) Subject to the funds available for the program, and subject to the limitation in |
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| 113 | 113 | | 4.19paragraph (e), the minimum award amount established under this section for full-time study |
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| 114 | 114 | | 4.20must be no less than $1,000 per year. |
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| 115 | 115 | | 4.21 (e) An eligible applicant's individual award amount must not exceed the applicant's cost |
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| 116 | 116 | | 4.22of attendance after deducting: (1) the student's expected family contribution Student Aid |
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| 117 | 117 | | 4.23Index; (2) the sum of all state or federal grants and gift aid received, including a Pell Grant |
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| 118 | 118 | | 4.24and state grant; (3) the sum of all institutional grants, scholarships, tuition waivers, and |
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| 119 | 119 | | 4.25tuition remission amounts; and (4) the amount of any private grants or scholarships. |
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| 120 | 120 | | 4.26 (f) Awards are made until available funds are expended. Eligible applicants who |
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| 121 | 121 | | 4.27completed their applications on or before the priority application deadline but who did not |
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| 122 | 122 | | 4.28receive an award due to insufficient funds, and eligible applicants who completed their |
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| 123 | 123 | | 4.29applications after the priority application deadline, shall be placed on an award waiting list |
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| 124 | 124 | | 4.30by order of application completion date. |
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| 125 | 125 | | 4.31 Subd. 4.Administration.(a) The commissioner must establish an application process |
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| 126 | 126 | | 4.32for individual students and institutions on behalf of all eligible students at the institution |
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| 127 | 127 | | 4.33and other guidelines for implementing the scholarship program. |
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| 128 | 128 | | 4Sec. 3. |
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| 129 | 129 | | REVISOR JFK/AD 23-0120001/03/23 5.1 (b) A scholarship award must be paid to the eligible applicant's teacher preparation |
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| 130 | 130 | | 5.2institution on behalf of the eligible applicant. Awards may be paid only when the institution |
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| 131 | 131 | | 5.3has confirmed to the commissioner the applicant's name, racial or ethnic identity, gender, |
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| 132 | 132 | | 5.4licensure area sought, and enrollment status. |
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| 133 | 133 | | 5.5 Subd. 4a.Account established.An aspiring Minnesota teachers of color scholarship |
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| 134 | 134 | | 5.6program account is created in the special revenue fund for depositing money appropriated |
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| 135 | 135 | | 5.7to or received by the commissioner for the program. Money deposited in the account is |
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| 136 | 136 | | 5.8appropriated to the commissioner, does not cancel, and is continuously available for |
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| 137 | 137 | | 5.9scholarship awards under this section. |
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| 138 | 138 | | 5.10 Subd. 5.Service expectation.An applicant who receives a scholarship under this section |
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| 139 | 139 | | 5.11is expected to serve as a full-time teacher in Minnesota after completing the program for |
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| 140 | 140 | | 5.12which the scholarship was awarded. |
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| 141 | 141 | | 5.13 Subd. 6.Report.By December 15 of each year, the commissioner must submit a full |
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| 142 | 142 | | 5.14report on the details of the scholarship program for the previous fiscal year to the legislative |
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| 143 | 143 | | 5.15committees with jurisdiction over E-12 and higher education finance and policy. The reports |
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| 144 | 144 | | 5.16must also be made available on the Office of Higher Education's website. The reports must |
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| 145 | 145 | | 5.17include the following information: |
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| 146 | 146 | | 5.18 (1) the number of applicants and the number of award recipients, each broken down by |
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| 147 | 147 | | 5.19postsecondary institution with ten or more recipients; |
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| 148 | 148 | | 5.20 (2) the total number of awards, the total dollar amount of all awards, and the average |
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| 149 | 149 | | 5.21award amount; |
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| 150 | 150 | | 5.22 (3) summary data on the racial or ethnic identity, gender, licensure area sought, and |
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| 151 | 151 | | 5.23enrollment status of all applicants and award recipients; and |
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| 152 | 152 | | 5.24 (4) other summary data identified by the commissioner as outcome indicators. |
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| 153 | 153 | | 5.25 Sec. 4. APPROPRIATIONS. |
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| 154 | 154 | | 5.26 Subdivision 1.Aspiring Minnesota teachers of color scholarship program.(a) |
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| 155 | 155 | | 5.27$18,500,000 in fiscal year 2024 and $18,500,000 in fiscal year 2025 are appropriated from |
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| 156 | 156 | | 5.28the general fund for transfer to the aspiring Minnesota teachers of color scholarship program |
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| 157 | 157 | | 5.29account in the special revenue fund under Laws 2021, First Special Session chapter 2, article |
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| 158 | 158 | | 5.302, section 45, as amended by this act. The commissioner of the Office of Higher Education |
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| 159 | 159 | | 5.31and the commissioner of the Department of Management and Budget shall transfer to the |
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| 160 | 160 | | 5.32program's special revenue fund account any remaining balance of the amount appropriated |
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| 161 | 161 | | 5Sec. 4. |
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| 162 | 162 | | REVISOR JFK/AD 23-0120001/03/23 6.1for the program in Laws 2021, First Special Session chapter 2, article 1, section 2, subdivision |
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| 163 | 163 | | 6.238. |
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| 164 | 164 | | 6.3 (b) The commissioner may use no more than $200,000 of this appropriation to administer |
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| 165 | 165 | | 6.4the program. |
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| 166 | 166 | | 6.5 (c) The base for this appropriation is $10,000,000 in fiscal year 2026 and later. |
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| 167 | 167 | | 6.6 Subd. 2.Grants to underrepresented student teachers.(a) $2,500,000 in fiscal year |
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| 168 | 168 | | 6.72024 and $2,500,000 in fiscal year 2025 are appropriated from the general fund to the |
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| 169 | 169 | | 6.8commissioner of the Office of Higher Education for grants to underrepresented student |
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| 170 | 170 | | 6.9teachers under Minnesota Statutes, section 136A.1274. |
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| 171 | 171 | | 6.10 (b) The commissioner may use no more than three percent of this appropriation to |
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| 172 | 172 | | 6.11administer the program. |
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| 173 | 173 | | 6.12 (c) The base for this appropriation is $3,000,000 in fiscal year 2026 and later. |
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| 174 | 174 | | 6.13 Subd. 3.Teacher shortage loan repayment program.(a) $8,250,000 in fiscal year |
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| 175 | 175 | | 6.142024 and $8,250,000 in fiscal year 2025 are appropriated from the general fund for transfer |
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| 176 | 176 | | 6.15to the teacher shortage loan repayment account in the special revenue fund under Minnesota |
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| 177 | 177 | | 6.16Statutes, section 136A.1791, subdivision 8. |
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| 178 | 178 | | 6.17 (b) The amount reserved for eligible applicants belonging to a racial or ethnic group |
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| 179 | 179 | | 6.18underrepresented in the teacher workforce pursuant to Minnesota Statutes, section 136A.1791, |
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| 180 | 180 | | 6.19subdivision 2, paragraph (e), as amended by this act, may be no less than $8,000,000 in |
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| 181 | 181 | | 6.20each fiscal year. |
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| 182 | 182 | | 6.21 (c) The commissioner may use no more than $250,000 of this appropriation to administer |
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| 183 | 183 | | 6.22the program. |
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| 184 | 184 | | 6.23 (d) The base for this appropriation is $8,250,000 in fiscal year 2026 and later. |
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| 185 | 185 | | 6.24 Sec. 5. REVISOR INSTRUCTION. |
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| 186 | 186 | | 6.25 The revisor of statutes shall codify Laws 2021, First Special Session chapter 2, article |
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| 187 | 187 | | 6.262, section 45, as amended by this act, as a new section in Minnesota Statutes numbered |
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| 188 | 188 | | 6.27136A.1273. |
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| 189 | 189 | | 6Sec. 5. |
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| 190 | 190 | | REVISOR JFK/AD 23-0120001/03/23 |
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