This bill modifies teacher licensure provisions, transfers the administration of several grant programs from the Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board (PELSB) to the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE), and introduces new reporting requirements and funding appropriations.

Key Provisions: 1. Teacher Licensure Changes: - Updates requirements for teacher preparation programs, including incorporating structured literacy and dyslexia training. - Revises criteria for renewing Tier 1 teaching licenses, including eliminating content examination requirements. - Strengthens requirements for board approval of teacher preparation programs.

1. Grant Program Transfers:

   • The administration of various teacher grant programs, including those for increasing teacher diversity and mentoring programs, will move from PELSB to MDE.
   • Programs affected include the Collaborative Urban and Greater Minnesota Educators of Color Grant Program and the Mentoring, Induction, and Retention Incentive Program.

2. Reporting Requirements:

   • MDE, PELSB, and the Office of Higher Education must coordinate to publish reports on increasing the racial and ethnic diversity of the state’s teacher workforce.
   • Institutions receiving grants must submit detailed annual reports on teacher candidate outcomes.

3. Appropriations:

   • MDE: $5.44 million annually for the Educators of Color grant program, $4.5 million for teacher mentoring and retention.
   • Board of School Administrators: $289,000 in FY 2026 and $189,000 in FY 2027 for processing administrator license applications.
   • PELSB: Over $39 million in FY 2026 and $40.3 million in FY 2027 for various licensure support programs, including funding for the licensure portfolio process and heritage language teacher programs.

4. Marketing Campaign for Teacher Recruitment:

   • Moves oversight of a teacher recruitment marketing campaign to MDE.
   • Allocates $500,000 annually for outreach and marketing to recruit teachers, with a focus on teachers of color.

5. Staff and Contract Transfers:

   • Transfers staff and contractual obligations related to grant administration from PELSB to MDE while ensuring no reduction in salaries or benefits for affected employees.

6. Repeal:

   • Repeals a provision from the 2023 law related to grant administration.

This bill aims to streamline grant administration, enhance teacher preparation standards, and further efforts to diversify Minnesota’s teacher workforce.