This change moves the Educators of Color grant back to MDE to improve oversight and reduce red tape—without changing funding or program goals.

What’s changing:
Move the CUGMEC grant program from the Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board (PELSB) back to the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE).

Cost:

• No new spending
• No cuts
• Budget-neutral
  Funding (~$5.44M per year) stays exactly the same—only the administering agency changes.

Why this is being done:

• MDE now has an Educator Workforce and Development Center, giving it stronger infrastructure for:
  • Grant management
  • Technical assistance
  • Financial oversight
• The program was originally housed at MDE and fits more naturally with MDE’s workforce pipeline work.
• A 2021 Office of the Legislative Auditor (OLA) review found the program lacked clarity and consistency.
• While statutory fixes were made in 2023, they created unintended administrative complexity that now needs cleanup.

What improves under this proposal:

• Simpler, clearer grant rules for colleges and universities
• Reduced administrative burden for applicants and grantees
• More transparent and standardized grant administration
• Better alignment with other teacher pipeline programs

Staffing change:

• 0.8 FTE transfers from PELSB to MDE to maintain continuity and program expertise.

What does NOT change:

• The purpose of the grant
• Who is eligible
• Total funding amounts
• Focus on recruiting and supporting teachers of color and American Indian teachers

Program goal:
Increase the number of teachers of color and American Indian teachers in Minnesota by supporting:

• Recruitment into teacher prep programs
• Progress toward licensure
• Completion of licensure and entry into the workforce

Impact on students and families:

• Greater access to a diverse and qualified educator workforce
• Research shows teachers of color:
  • Improve academic outcomes for students of color
  • Reduce absenteeism and discipline disparities
  • Benefit all students’ learning experiences

Bottom line:
This proposal is an administrative fix, not a policy shift; placing a growing, high-dollar grant program with the agency best equipped to manage it efficiently and transparently.