Purpose of the Bill

The purpose of this bill is to allocate funds to create and distribute educational videos to assist immigrant students and their parents in understanding the Minnesota school system. This initiative aims to support these families in integrating into the educational environment, thereby promoting student success and reducing achievement gaps.

Main Provisions

• Funding Allocation: The bill proposes an appropriation of $800,000 from the general fund to the Minnesota Department of Education.
• Grant to Cultural Connections: These funds will be used as a grant for Cultural Connections, an organization tasked with creating the educational videos.
• Target Audience: At least 320 public middle and high schools will receive these videos, which are aimed at immigrant students and their parents.
• Video Content and Language: The videos are to explain the school system in a basic way and will be translated into the native languages of immigrant parents to ensure understanding and accessibility.
• Parental Involvement: By explaining the school system, the videos intend to foster increased parental involvement, a key factor in student achievement.
• Onetime Appropriation: This funding is specified as a onetime expense.

Significant Changes

This bill represents a targeted effort to integrate immigrant communities within the school system by using translated audiovisual materials, a strategy not explicitly covered in previous Minnesota educational funding efforts.

Relevant Terms

education finance, appropriation, grant, Cultural Connections, immigrant students, parental involvement, achievement gap, Minnesota school system, educational videos, integration, middle and high schools, native languages, onetime appropriation.