The 2017 Minnesota Legislative Session brought a series of changes and news laws for E-12 schools in Minnesota. The Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) released a summary of the statutory changes as a result of the 2017 Education bill. Read the Law Changes.
The summary includes a series of notable changes including,:
- Statewide college entrance testing
Narrows who district and charter schools may receive state reimbursement for when paying for costs of a nationally recognized college entrance exam to only 11th- and 12th-grade students who are eligible for free or reduced-priced lunch. Districts must waive the cost for a student unable to pay. (Article II, Section 15, p. 11) - Negotiated unrequested leave of absence
Requires districts and teacher’s bargaining units to negotiate plans for unrequested leaves of absence. Eliminates state statutory fallback of the plan being based on seniority. The change is effective July 1, 2019. (Article II, Sections 21, 22, p12) - Statewide concurrent enrollment teacher training program
Expands Northwest Regional Partnership concurrent enrollment teacher training program statewide. Article II, Section 48, p. 19) - New Teacher Licensing Board and Tiered Licensure
(Article 3, pp. 28-44 and Article 12, pp. 55-62)
Each section of the summary includes descriptions with a contact person at MDE for further assistance. Read the Law Changes.
Key areas include:
- Special Education
- Facilities and Technology
- Nutrition
- Libraries
- Early Childhood and Family Support
- Community Education and Prevention
- Self-Sufficiency and Lifelong Learning
- State Agencies
- Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board
- Forecast Adjustment
MDE previously released in June a slide presentation that focused on financial information as well as policy overviews. It is the only source from MDE with information on changes in tax and election laws. View the Financial and Policy.
