Teacher shortage reporting requirements modified, and report required.
Summary
HF516 modifies Minnesota’s teacher shortage reporting framework and requires additional data to be included in the state’s teacher supply-and-demand reports. The bill updates the statutory definition of a “shortage area” to include not only licensure fields and regions with unfilled licensed-teacher assignments, but also regions where the share of Indigenous teachers and teachers of color is lower than the share of Indigenous students and students of color, so long as the individuals counted help close that gap.
The bill also expands the Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board’s biennial report to the legislature. Beginning with the 2025 report and continuing every even-numbered year, the board must provide more detailed information on retirement patterns, licensure, teacher diversity, teacher and substitute shortages, survey data from districts and preparation programs, and whether districts are improving their ability to hire in shortage areas. A separate section requires the board’s February 1, 2026 report to break out teacher openings, hires, license tier levels, and unfilled assignments by school district for several specific fields, including ESL, early childhood, special education, CTE, STEM, and world languages.
Impact
HF516 amends Minnesota Statutes sections 122A.06 and 122A.091 and adds new reporting obligations for the Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board. It does not create a new licensing program or funding mechanism, but it changes how teacher shortages are defined and measured, and it requires more granular statewide and district-level data to be published and delivered to legislative education committees. The bill is effective in stages, with some provisions effective July 1, 2025 and the new field-specific reporting effective the day after final enactment.
Sentiment
The bill appears generally supportive of efforts to better understand and address teacher shortages, especially by improving transparency around hard-to-fill positions and workforce diversity. Because the available record includes no committee transcript or vote data, there is no documented opposition or floor debate in the provided materials. The bill’s structure suggests a policy focus on information gathering and accountability rather than direct regulatory change, which often draws broader bipartisan interest.
Contention
The main potential point of contention is the bill’s expanded equity-based definition of shortage area, which ties shortage reporting to the relative representation of Indigenous teachers and teachers of color compared with student demographics. Supporters are likely to view this as a necessary way to measure workforce diversity and identify gaps, while critics could argue that it broadens the concept of shortage beyond vacancies and may complicate reporting or policy priorities. Another possible issue is the added administrative burden on school districts and the licensing board to collect and report more detailed data by district, field, and license tier.