Teacher retention contract support appropriation

A bill for an act

relating to education finance; appropriating money for a contract to support teacher

retention; amending Laws 2025, First Special Session chapter 10, article 2, section

24, subdivision 5.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

Section 1.

Laws 2025, First Special Session chapter 10, article 2, section 24, subdivision

5, is amended to read:

Subd. 5.

COMPASS and MTSS.

(a) To support the development and implementation

of the MTSS framework and the Collaborative Minnesota Partnerships to Advance Student

Success (COMPASS) school improvement model:

$

13,000,000

.....

2026

$

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13,000,000

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15,000,000

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.....

2027

(b) Of this amount, $5,000,000 each year is to support implementation of MTSS and

COMPASS. Funds must be used to support increased capacity at the Department of Education

and the Minnesota service cooperatives for implementation supports. Funds may be used

to contract with the University of Minnesota Center for Applied Research and Educational

Improvement to support implementation and evaluation of the MTSS framework.

(c) Of this amount, $5,000,000 each year is reserved for grants to school districts, charter

schools, Tribal contract schools, and cooperative units as defined in Minnesota Statutes,

section
123A.24, subdivision 2
, for implementation of MTSS, including: hiring local MTSS

coordinators; deferring costs for personnel to participate in cohort activities and professional

learning; and piloting the Department of Education One Plan, the consolidation of multiple

reporting structures to streamline various applications, reports, and submissions by school

districts and charter schools. Notwithstanding Minnesota Statutes, section
16B.98, subdivision

14
, up to five percent of this amount is available for program and grant administration.

(d) Of this amount, $3,000,000 each year must be used to develop a regional network

focusing on mathematics to provide dedicated mathematics trainers and coaches to train

regional support staff from the Minnesota service cooperatives and to support school leaders

and teachers to implement evidence-based instructional strategies in mathematics. Funds

may also be used to host an annual mathematics standards-based instructional institute.

(e) Support for school districts, charter schools, and cooperative units under this

subdivision may include but is not limited to:

(1) partnering with the Minnesota Service Cooperatives to support districts in

implementing COMPASS to support schools in the areas of literacy, math, social-emotional

learning, and mental health using the MTSS framework;

(2) providing support to districts and charter schools identified under Minnesota Statutes,

section
120B.11
;

(3) providing support to districts and charter schools to streamline various applications,

reports, and submissions to the Department of Education through One Plan;

(4) providing training, guidance, and implementation resources for MTSS, including a

universal screening process approved by the Department of Education to identify students

who may be at risk of experiencing academic, behavioral, and social-emotional development

difficulties;

(5) providing guidance to convene school-based teams to analyze data provided by

screenings and resources for related identification, instruction, and intervention methods;

(6) dyslexia screening and interventions that are evidence-based;

(7) requiring school districts and charter schools to provide parents of students identified

in screenings with notice of screening findings and related support information;

(8) requiring districts and charter schools to provide at-risk students with interventions

and to monitor the effectiveness of these interventions and student progress; and

(9) developing and annually reporting findings regarding the implementation of MTSS.

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(f) Of the amount appropriated in fiscal year 2027 only, $2,000,000 is to expand capacity

at the Department of Education and the Minnesota service cooperatives for sustainable

systems that strengthen teacher retention, workplace satisfaction, and educator well-being.

Funds must be used to contract with an entity that:

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(1) has demonstrated success in statewide or regional implementation of initiatives that

improve school workplace conditions and organizational culture; and

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(2) has the capacity and experience to effectively collaborate with education agencies

and state partners.

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Activities under the contract may include data-driven initiatives that address systemic causes

of teacher burnout and turnover, center educators' voices in decision-making and resource

allocation, and provide professional support to scale and sustain impact across diverse school

communities.

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(f)
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(g)
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Any balance remaining in fiscal year 2026 is available in fiscal year 2027.