| 1 | 1 | | 1.1 A bill for an act |
|---|
| 2 | 2 | | 1.2 relating to education; establishing a grant program to support community literacy |
|---|
| 3 | 3 | | 1.3 initiatives; appropriating money. |
|---|
| 4 | 4 | | 1.4BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: |
|---|
| 5 | 5 | | 1.5 Section 1. APPROPRIATIONS; COMMUNITY LITERACY INITIATIVES. |
|---|
| 6 | 6 | | 1.6 Subdivision 1.Department of Education.The sums indicated in this section are |
|---|
| 7 | 7 | | 1.7appropriated from the general fund to the Department of Education in the fiscal years |
|---|
| 8 | 8 | | 1.8designated. |
|---|
| 9 | 9 | | 1.9 Subd. 2.Community literacy initiatives.(a) For grants to support community literacy |
|---|
| 10 | 10 | | 1.10initiatives: |
|---|
| 11 | 11 | | 2026.....1,000,0001.11 $ |
|---|
| 12 | 12 | | 2027.....1,000,0001.12 $ |
|---|
| 13 | 13 | | 1.13 (b) A grant recipient must use grant money to support community-based public awareness |
|---|
| 14 | 14 | | 1.14and family literacy initiatives, including but not limited to the following activities: |
|---|
| 15 | 15 | | 1.15 (1) developing and distributing literacy and grade-level guides to community |
|---|
| 16 | 16 | | 1.16organizations, schools, libraries, and other relevant groups that describe the reading |
|---|
| 17 | 17 | | 1.17acquisition process, the roles families play in literacy, and suggestions on supportive |
|---|
| 18 | 18 | | 1.18activities. Literacy and grade-level guides must reflect best practices in the science of reading |
|---|
| 19 | 19 | | 1.19and align with the standards set forth in the Read Act under Minnesota Statutes, sections |
|---|
| 20 | 20 | | 1.20120B.118 to 120B.124; |
|---|
| 21 | 21 | | 1.21 (2) developing and distributing public awareness resources, including literacy toolkits |
|---|
| 22 | 22 | | 1.22for families; and |
|---|
| 23 | 23 | | 1Section 1. |
|---|
| 24 | 24 | | 25-01970 as introduced01/28/25 REVISOR CR/KR |
|---|
| 25 | 25 | | SENATE |
|---|
| 26 | 26 | | STATE OF MINNESOTA |
|---|
| 27 | 27 | | S.F. No. 2353NINETY-FOURTH SESSION |
|---|
| 28 | 28 | | (SENATE AUTHORS: MAYE QUADE) |
|---|
| 29 | 29 | | OFFICIAL STATUSD-PGDATE |
|---|
| 30 | 30 | | Introduction and first reading03/10/2025 |
|---|
| 31 | 31 | | Referred to Education Finance 2.1 (3) providing training for schools, community groups, libraries, and other relevant groups |
|---|
| 32 | 32 | | 2.2on how to effectively use the literacy and grade-level guides with families, ensuring the |
|---|
| 33 | 33 | | 2.3materials are used to their full potential in supporting student literacy development. |
|---|
| 34 | 34 | | 2.4Schools may facilitate distribution of literacy and grade-level guides and literacy toolkits |
|---|
| 35 | 35 | | 2.5to students and families at their discretion, ensuring broad accessibility. |
|---|
| 36 | 36 | | 2.6 (c) The commissioner must establish a competitive grant process to enhance and expand |
|---|
| 37 | 37 | | 2.7community-led efforts to provide literacy support to children and families. The competitive |
|---|
| 38 | 38 | | 2.8grant process must align with the requirements of the Read Act under Minnesota Statutes, |
|---|
| 39 | 39 | | 2.9sections 120B.118 to 120B.124, and must emphasize evidence-based literacy practices. The |
|---|
| 40 | 40 | | 2.10commissioner must prioritize grant applications that demonstrate expertise in developing |
|---|
| 41 | 41 | | 2.11literacy and grade-level guides and public awareness resources for families. |
|---|
| 42 | 42 | | 2.12 (d) Up to $200,000 of the appropriation in fiscal year 2026 may be used for the |
|---|
| 43 | 43 | | 2.13development and delivery of after-school pilot programs. To be eligible to receive pilot |
|---|
| 44 | 44 | | 2.14program money, an organization must demonstrate: |
|---|
| 45 | 45 | | 2.15 (1) a proven track record of implementing high-quality, research-based learning curricula |
|---|
| 46 | 46 | | 2.16that have led to significant improvements in student achievement in literacy; |
|---|
| 47 | 47 | | 2.17 (2) experience providing professional development and coaching to educators, resulting |
|---|
| 48 | 48 | | 2.18in enhanced instructional practices and student outcomes; |
|---|
| 49 | 49 | | 2.19 (3) capacity to deliver multicultural, project-based, and integrated reading and writing |
|---|
| 50 | 50 | | 2.20supports tailored to students at risk of not achieving grade-level proficiency in reading; and |
|---|
| 51 | 51 | | 2.21 (4) alignment with evidence-based reading strategies consistent with the Read Act under |
|---|
| 52 | 52 | | 2.22Minnesota Statutes, sections 120B.118 to 120B.124. |
|---|
| 53 | 53 | | 2.23 (e) A pilot program receiving grant money under paragraph (d) must effectively support |
|---|
| 54 | 54 | | 2.24students at risk of not achieving grade-level proficiency in reading. |
|---|
| 55 | 55 | | 2.25 (f) A grant recipient may use a portion of the grant money for coaching and mentoring |
|---|
| 56 | 56 | | 2.26teachers who have received professional development training under the Read Act under |
|---|
| 57 | 57 | | 2.27Minnesota Statutes, section 120B.123, subdivision 5, and require ongoing support. Coaching |
|---|
| 58 | 58 | | 2.28and mentoring must focus on equipping teachers to support underserved students and |
|---|
| 59 | 59 | | 2.29communities and ensure sustained improvement in literacy instruction. Coaching and |
|---|
| 60 | 60 | | 2.30mentoring must align with the standards set forth in the Read Act under Minnesota Statutes, |
|---|
| 61 | 61 | | 2.31sections 120B.118 to 120B.124. |
|---|
| 62 | 62 | | 2.32 (g) This is a onetime appropriation and is available until June 30, 2027. |
|---|
| 63 | 63 | | 2Section 1. |
|---|
| 64 | 64 | | 25-01970 as introduced01/28/25 REVISOR CR/KR |
|---|