This proposal moves teacher mentorship grants to MDE to improve coordination and support—without changing funding or program purpose.

What’s changing:
Move the Teacher Mentorship and Retention of Effective Teachers grant program from PELSB to the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE).

Cost:

• No new spending
• No cuts
• Budget-neutral
  The existing $4.5 million per year stays the same—only the administering agency changes.

Why this change is proposed:

• Mentoring and induction are proven to improve teacher retention and effectiveness, especially for new teachers.
• MDE has recently:
  • Built a statewide teacher induction framework
  • Piloted mentoring programs in districts and charters
  • Provided statewide training and technical assistance
• Because MDE already runs induction and workforce pipeline efforts, it is better positioned to manage mentoring grants than PELSB.

What improves under this proposal:

• Stronger program oversight and support for grantees
• Better alignment with teacher workforce development efforts
• More consistent implementation of mentoring and induction statewide
• Reduced fragmentation across agencies

Staffing change:

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

What the grants support:

• Mentors’ stipends
• Induction and orientation programs for new teachers
• Affinity groups for teachers of color and American Indian teachers
• Professional development tied to closing achievement gaps
• Graduate coursework and additional licensure support

Who the program prioritizes:

• New teachers of color
• New American Indian teachers
• New teachers in shortage areas

Impact on students and families:

• Improves teacher retention in the first 3–4 years, when turnover is highest
• Supports a stable, diverse, and effective educator workforce
• Research shows mentoring benefits all students, especially underserved students

What does NOT change:

• Grant eligibility
• Program goals
• Annual funding level
• Focus on teacher retention and effectiveness

Bottom line:
This is an administrative consolidation, not a policy shift—placing teacher mentoring grants with the agency best equipped to support induction, retention, and workforce development.