Challenges and Recommendations for Improving the Structure of GYO Grants in Minnesota
In interviews with various individuals across the three programs and the state more broadly, several challenges with the current GYO grant structure have emerged. First, the funding level for the grant program has not increased since its conception in 2016, when program eligibility was restricted to just two universities. The demand for these grants currently far outpaces the supply: there were 18 applicants requesting over $3 million in funding in fiscal year 2020 and 17 applicants requesting nearly $3 million in FY 2021. The state awarded funds to nine programs in FY 2020 and six programs in FY 2021.1 Only $1.455 million is available annually, for both pathways, and some have questioned whether these funds are necessary for secondary pathways, given the other sources of funding available for concurrent enrollment programs.
In addition, the grant competition cycle is contingent on the Minnesota legislative calendar, which ends in the middle of May (barring the need for a special session), meaning that the grant process cannot even start until early June. Currently, the MDE estimates that awardees may not be able to access funds until up to six months after the close of the legislative session, or well into a traditional fall semester where a cohort of paraprofessionals would find themselves needing scholarships or stipends.2 This timeline makes the grant an unreliable source of funding for long-term planning and program sustainability.
Finally, the grant requirements are narrow, limiting the number of eligible districts and educators. The paraprofessional pathway, for example, is only for those who have a bachelor's degree. Requiring state testing passage for secondary students could limit student access, too. The greater flexibility from the state in its requirements to enter the profession, without compromising on requirements for full licensure, the more teachers that may be able to join.
With these challenges in mind, 2021 proposals for reforming Minnesota GYO Grants include: preventing GYO-specific Pathway 2 grants from funding concurrent enrollment, which is already covered in other grants; increasing GYO grant funding; establishing a third pathway that is not a residency program which will include adults who do not have a bachelor’s degree; and requiring, rather than strongly encouraging, that funds go to BIPOC candidates. For more information on how the 2021 ICTA and Governor Tim Walz’s 2021 budget proposal would reform GYO grants, see: “2021 GYO Reform Proposals.”
2021 GYO Reform Proposals
House File 227, the 2021 iteration of the ICTA, would:
- Better define what Pathway 2 grants could and could not be used for, including future teaching clubs, wrap-around services for BIPOC students, and scholarships for BIPOC students enrolling in Minnesota undergraduate teacher preparation programs.3
- Increase GYO grant funding to $17 million over two years for the GYO grants program, or $8.5 million annually and $10 million annually for fiscal year 2024 and later.4 The proposal also seeks to increase the Concurrent Enrollment “Introduction to Teaching” grants from $350,000 to $500,000 annually,5 and mark $3 million annually for mentoring, induction, and retention incentive grants for teachers of color.6
- Establish a third pathway that is not a residency program which will include adults who do not have a bachelor’s degree.7
- Change the GYO legislation to require, rather than strongly encourage, that funds go to BIPOC candidates.
- For a district or charter to be eligible for GYO grants for secondary students it “must ensure that the aggregate percentage of secondary school students of color and American Indian students participating in the program is equal to or greater than the aggregate percentage of students of color and American Indian students in the school district or charter school.”8
- At least 80 percent of residency grants would go to scholarships or stipends for BIPOC residents.9
- Adult pathway grants would go toward scholarships or stipends for BIPOC candidates, and to programs with more than half of their candidates identifying as BIPOC.10
Governor Tim Walz’s 2021 budget proposal includes $4.5 million in competitive grants to implement the state’s induction model, an additional $2 million annually to expand the Grow Your Own Grant (while also expanding the eligibility length and creating a third pathway), and a $4 million annual grant for a new program for educator career pathways for middle and secondary school students.11
Citations
- Paul Spies, “Approaches to Grow Your Own Educator Programs in Minnesota: Pathways for Adults,” online video of webcast, February 10, 2021, source
- Minnesota Department of Education (website), “Grow Your Own,” source
- House File 217, 92nd Legislature, §16.5 (MN 2021) source
- House File 217, 92nd Legislature, §21.3(a) (MN 2021) source
- House File 217, 92nd Legislature, §21.9(a) (MN 2021) source
- House File 217, 92nd Legislature, §21.4(a) (MN 2021) source
- House File 217, 92nd Legislature, §16.4 (MN 2021) source
- House File 217, 92nd Legislature, §16.5(a) (MN 2021) source
- House File 217, 92nd Legislature, §16.3 (MN 2021) source
- House File 217, 92nd Legislature, §16.4 (MN 2021) source
- Adosh Unni (MDE Director of Government Relations), Approaches to Grow Your Own Educator Programs in Minnesota: Pathways for Adults,” online video of webcast, February 10, 2021, source