Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session

Minnesota House Bill HF679 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	1.1 A bill for an act
2	2	1.2 relating to education finance; increasing award amounts of innovative
3	3	1.3 service-learning grants; appropriating money; amending Laws 2023, chapter 55,
4	4	1.4 article 2, section 59.
5	5	1.5BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:
6	6	1.6 Section 1. Laws 2023, chapter 55, article 2, section 59, is amended to read:
7	7	1.7 Sec. 59. INNOVATIVE INCUBATOR SERVICE-LEARNING GRANTS.
8	8	1.8 Subdivision 1.Definitions.(a) For the purposes of this section, the following terms have
9	9	1.9the meanings given.
10	10	1.10 (b) "Eligible school" means a school district or school site operated by a school district,
11	11	1.11charter school, or Tribal contract or grant school eligible for state aid under Minnesota
12	12	1.12Statutes, section 124D.83, or cooperative unit under Minnesota Statutes, section 123A.24,
13	13	1.13subdivision 2.
14	14	1.14 (c) "Eligible service-learning partnership" means a partnership that includes an eligible
15	15	1.15school and at least one community-based organization, community education program, state
16	16	1.16or federal agency, or political subdivision. An eligible service-learning partnership may
17	17	1.17include other individuals or entities, such as a postsecondary faculty member or institution,
18	18	1.18parent, other community member, local business or business organization, or local media
19	19	1.19representative. A school district member in an eligible service-learning partnership may
20	20	1.20participate in the partnership through a community education program established under
21	21	1.21Minnesota Statutes, section 124D.19.
22	22	1Section 1.
23	23	REVISOR CR/BM 25-0317202/05/25
24	24	State of Minnesota
25	25	This Document can be made available
26	26	in alternative formats upon request
27	27	HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
28	28	H. F. No. 679
29	29	NINETY-FOURTH SESSION
30	30	Authored by Freiberg02/13/2025
31	31	The bill was read for the first time and referred to the Committee on Education Finance 2.1 Subd. 2.Establishment; eligibility criteria; application requirements.(a) A technical
32	32	2.2assistance and grant program is established to initiate or expand and strengthen innovative
33	33	2.3service-learning opportunities for students in kindergarten through grade 12; increase student
34	34	2.4engagement and academic achievement; help close the academic achievement gap and the
35	35	2.5community, college, and career opportunity gaps; and create a positive school climate and
36	36	2.6safer schools and communities.
37	37	2.7 (b) At least one teacher, administrator, or program staff member and at least one
38	38	2.8service-learning specialist, service-learning coordinator, curriculum specialist, or other
39	39	2.9qualified employee employed by an eligible school and designated to develop and share
40	40	2.10expertise in implementing service-learning best practices must work with students to form
41	41	2.11a student-adult partnership. Before developing and submitting a grant application to the
42	42	2.12department, a participating student must work with at least one adult who is part of the
43	43	2.13initial partnership to identify a need or opportunity to pursue through a service-learning
44	44	2.14partnership and invite at least one partner to collaborate in developing and submitting a
45	45	2.15grant application. The fiscal agent for the grant to an eligible service-learning partnership
46	46	2.16is an eligible school that is a member of the partnership or has a program that is a member
47	47	2.17of the partnership.
48	48	2.18 (c) An eligible service-learning partnership receiving an innovation service-learning
49	49	2.19grant must:
50	50	2.20 (1) include at least two or more enrolled students; two or more school employees of an
51	51	2.21eligible school in accordance with paragraph (b); and an eligible community-based
52	52	2.22organization, community education program, state or federal agency, or political subdivision;
53	53	2.23and
54	54	2.24 (2) assist students to:
55	55	2.25 (i) actively participate in service-learning experiences that meet identified student and
56	56	2.26community needs or opportunities;
57	57	2.27 (ii) operate collaboratively with service-learning partnership members;
58	58	2.28 (iii) align service-learning experiences with at least one state or local academic standard,
59	59	2.29which may include a local career and technical education standard;
60	60	2.30 (iv) apply students' knowledge and skills in their community and help solve community
61	61	2.31problems or address community opportunities;
62	62	2.32 (v) foster students' civic engagement; and
63	63	2.33 (vi) explore or pursue career pathways and support career and college readiness.
64	64	2Section 1.
65	65	REVISOR CR/BM 25-0317202/05/25 3.1 (d) An eligible service-learning partnership interested in receiving a grant must apply
66	66	3.2to the commissioner of education in the form and manner determined by the commissioner.
67	67	3.3The partnership must work with an eligible school. Consistent with this subdivision, the
68	68	3.4application must describe the eligible service-learning partnership plan to:
69	69	3.5 (1) incorporate student-designed and student-led service-learning into the school
70	70	3.6curriculum or specific courses or across subject areas;
71	71	3.7 (2) provide students with instruction and experiences using service-learning best practices
72	72	3.8during the regular school day with an option to supplement their service-learning experiences
73	73	3.9outside of the school day;
74	74	3.10 (3) align service-learning experiences with at least one state or local academic standard,
75	75	3.11which may include a local career or technical education standard, and at least one goal of
76	76	3.12the world's best workforce comprehensive achievement and civic readiness in accordance
77	77	3.13with Minnesota Statutes, section 120B.11, or the state plan submitted and approved under
78	78	3.14the most recent reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act;
79	79	3.15 (4) make implementing service-learning best practices an educational priority;
80	80	3.16 (5) provide student-designed, student-led service-learning experiences that help meet
81	81	3.17community needs or develop or advance community opportunities; and
82	82	3.18 (6) identify at least one eligible school teacher, administrator, or program staff member
83	83	3.19and at least one service-learning specialist, service-learning coordinator, curriculum specialist,
84	84	3.20or other qualified eligible school employee designated to develop and share expertise in
85	85	3.21implementing service-learning best practices to work with students to form a student-adult
86	86	3.22partnership that includes at least one community-based organization, community education
87	87	3.23program, state or federal agency, or political subdivision.
88	88	3.24 Subd. 3.Innovation grants.The commissioner of education must award up to 32 grants
89	89	3.25of up to $50,000 $75,000 each to allow eligible partnerships to provide student-designed,
90	90	3.26student-led service-learning opportunities consistent with this section. Grant awards must
91	91	3.27be equitably distributed throughout Minnesota by congressional district. The commissioner
92	92	3.28may designate start-up or leader grant categories with differentiated maximum grant dollar
93	93	3.29amounts up to $50,000 $75,000. A grantee designated as a leader grantee may be required
94	94	3.30to meet additional leader grant requirements as established by the commissioner in the grant
95	95	3.31application criteria developed by the commissioner. In order to receive a grant, a partnership
96	96	3.32must provide a 50 percent match in funds or in-kind contributions unless the commissioner
97	97	3.33waives the match requirement for an applicant serving a high number of students whose
98	98	3.34families meet federal poverty guidelines. A partnership grantee must allocate the grant
99	99	3Section 1.
100	100	REVISOR CR/BM 25-0317202/05/25 4.1amount according to its grant application. The partnership must convey 50 percent of the
101	101	4.2actual grant amount to at least one community-based organization, community education
102	102	4.3program, state or federal agency, or political subdivision to help implement or defray the
103	103	4.4direct costs of carrying out the service-learning strategies and activities described in the
104	104	4.5partnership's grant application. A grantee may use grant money awarded for new
105	105	4.6service-learning initiatives or to maintain or expand service-learning initiatives.
106	106	4.7 Subd. 4.Report.A grantee must report to the commissioner on the educational and
107	107	4.8developmental outcomes of participating students and the eligible school's progress toward
108	108	4.9meeting at least one goal of the world's best workforce comprehensive achievement and
109	109	4.10academic readiness goals in accordance with Minnesota Statutes, section 120B.11, or the
110	110	4.11state plan submitted and approved under the most recent reauthorization of the Elementary
111	111	4.12and Secondary Education Act. A grantee must report on the community outcomes achieved
112	112	4.13through student service-learning experiences and the corresponding student service activities.
113	113	4.14The commissioner must submit a report on participating student and community outcomes
114	114	4.15under this section to the legislative committees with jurisdiction over kindergarten through
115	115	4.16grade 12 education by February 15, 2025 in each odd-numbered year.
116	116	4.17 EFFECTIVE DATE.This section is effective July 1, 2025.
117	117	4.18 Sec. 2. APPROPRIATION; SERVICE LEARNING GRANTS.
118	118	4.19 Subdivision 1.Department of Education.The sums indicated in this section are
119	119	4.20appropriated from the general fund to the Department of Education in the fiscal years
120	120	4.21designated.
121	121	4.22 Subd. 2.Innovative service-learning grants.(a) For innovative service-learning grants
122	122	4.23under Laws 2023, chapter 55, article 2, section 59:
123	123	2026.....$1,000,0004.24 $
124	124	2027.....$1,000,0004.25 $
125	125	4.26 (b) Any balance remaining in fiscal year 2026 is available in fiscal year 2027.
126	126	4.27 EFFECTIVE DATE.This section is effective July 1, 2025.
127	127	4Sec. 2.
128	128	REVISOR CR/BM 25-0317202/05/25