S.F. No. 2534 Summary

• Establishes the MNovate Commission to assist the governor, legislature, commissioner of education, and Minnesota learning communities in developing innovative public school models that address individual student needs, improve learning evaluation methods, create new teacher opportunities, and increase E-12 system efficiency.

• Commission consists of 12 voting members including the commissioner of education (serving as initial chairperson), with four members each appointed by the governor, speaker of the house, and senate rules committee; initial terms staggered at one, two, and three years with maximum of two consecutive terms thereafter.

• Requires commission to research unmet student learning needs across the state, identify restrictive laws and rules hindering innovation, disseminate new school information, facilitate quality assistance to districts, develop evaluation models, review charter school authorizer applications, and administer federal charter school start-up grants.

• Commission must submit annual reports by January 21 to the governor, legislature, and commissioner of education with recommendations and draft legislation to further its goals.

• Commission shall create a private 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation to carry out its work, with nonprofit board and executive director considered "officials" under state ethics law; nonprofit remains subject to open meeting laws, state audits, and legislative auditor oversight.