Minnesota Recovery Plan

State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds

2021 Report

August 27, 2021
Minnesota Management and Budget

COVID-19 Response Accountability Office

658 Cedar Street

Saint Paul, MN 55155

651-201-8000

info.mmb@state.mn.us

mn.gov/mmb

Upon request, this material will be made available in an alternative format such as large print, Braille or audio 

recording. 
Contents

Minnesota Recovery Plan....................................................................................................................... 1

General Overview.............................................................................................................................. 4

Executive Summary ........................................................................................................................ 4

Uses of Funds ................................................................................................................................ 4

Promoting Equitable Outcomes........................................................................................................ 5

Community Engagement................................................................................................................. 8

Labor Practices.............................................................................................................................. 9

Use of Evidence ............................................................................................................................. 9

Table of Expenses by Expenditure Category...................................................................................... 10

Project Inventory............................................................................................................................. 10

Project E37C041: Summer Preschool............................................................................................... 10

Project E37C042: Academic and mental health supports for schools and districts.................................. 12

Project E37C040: Strengthening Adult Basic Education (ABE) Programming.......................................... 14

Project E37C043: Expanding Access to Tutoring................................................................................ 15

Performance Report......................................................................................................................... 18

Ineligible Activities: Tax Offset Provision ............................................................................................. 18
Minnesota Recovery Plan: State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds 2021 Report 4

General Overview

Executive Summary

The AmericanRescue Plan (ARP) was passed by Congress and signed into law by President Biden on March 11, 

2021. Minnesota will receive an estimated $2.833 billion in State Fiscal Recovery Funds from the ARP to respond 

to the COVID-19 pandemic and help with long-term recovery. Minnesota state leaders agreed to divide funds 

received from the ARP into three categories: 

• Immediate COVID-19 response

• Long-term pandemic recovery

• Revenue replacement 

The State of Minnesota is committed to supporting urgent COVID-19 response efforts, providing government 

services, supporting economic stabilization for households and businesses, and addressing systemic public 

health and economic challenges which contributed to the unequal impact of the pandemic. The state has 

already undertaken significant public engagement efforts to let communities know about ARP funds and to 

gather input for usage. State agencies will work with community organizations and leaders to promote funded 

projects and raise public awareness of these opportunities. Thisreport provides an overview of Minnesota’s use 

of ARP funds as well as a detailed project inventory as of July 31, 2021.

Uses of Funds

As detailed in thisreport, Minnesota has spent approximately $15 million of the State Fiscal Recovery Fund 

allocation as of July 31, 2021, largely for summer learning for students. Recognizing the long-term nature and 

intent of the American Rescue Plan, the state will plan to use these resources to ensure an equitable recovery 

benefiting all people living and working in Minnesota. In addition, Minnesota will receive an estimated $3.505 

billion in program-specific federal funds. These funds will be used to support working families, ensure students 

catch up on learning, support small businesses, and drive economic recovery. More information is available 

online at mn.gov/arp.

Immediate COVID-19 response

Governor Walz and bipartisanlegislative leaders agreed to use $500 million to address immediate needs of the 

COVID-19 pandemic response. Projectsinclude summer learning for students, violence prevention efforts, and 

vaccine incentives. The state will continue to monitor the course of the pandemic and decide how to best 

allocate remaining funds among response activities. Projects with incurred expenses as of July 31, 2021 are 

detailed in this report. The following approved projects had not incurred expenses as of July 31, 2021.

Agency Project Description Dollar Amount

Minnesota Department of Health Vaccine Incentives $2,500,000

Minnesota Department of Public Safety Violence prevention grants $16,800,000

Minnesota Department of Health Vaccine Incentives II $13,800,000
Minnesota Recovery Plan: State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds 2021 Report 5

Long-term pandemic recovery

Governor Walz and legislative leaders agreed to set aside $1.15 billion to address long-term needs as part of the 

COVID-19 pandemic response. Governor Walz will offer his recommendations in early 2022 and the legislature 

will act during the 2022 legislative session. The executive branch is currently soliciting ideas about uses of these 

funds.

Revenue replacement

For revenue replacement, Governor Walz and the legislature set aside funds for the provision of government 

services through fiscal year 2025:

• $633 million for the fiscal years 2022-23 biennium

• $550 million for the fiscal years 2024-25 biennium

Local Fiscal Recovery Fund

Minnesota’s share of the Local Fiscal Recovery Fund for Non-Entitlement Units(NEUs) is $377 million. More than 

2,600 townships and cities are eligible for distribution. As of August 24, 2021, the state has distributed about 

$156 million, or nearly 83 percent, of the $188.5 million available in the first tranche of funds. Remaining

distributions from the first payment will occur in September and October 2021 with the second payment being 

distributed in 2022. Minnesota’s COVID-19 Response AccountabilityOffice continues to work with local 

governments and local government associationssuch as the League of Minnesota Cities and the Minnesota 

Association of Townships to connect cities and towns with these funds and promote federal resources on 

eligible uses of funds.

Use of evidence

The State of Minnesota’s strategy regarding pandemic recovery supports the community by actively seeking 

feedback and suggestions from Minnesotans on program focus and design, while using evidence-based practices 

to ensure program efficiency and effectiveness. Minnesota has a nationally recognized processfor identifying 

and funding evidence-based practices and evaluating promising programs and services. The state intends to 

continue this tradition with the State Fiscal Recovery Fund. The state and its partners use data and research to 

produce improved results for Minnesotans. Minnesota’s Results First website describes activities in this area.

Promoting Equitable Outcomes

The State of Minnesota is committed to ensuring a strong and equitable recovery from the pandemic for all 

residents. Minnesota isinvested in gathering input from community groups and has conducted engagement 

seminars in partnership with the Urban Native Leaders, Latino Lead, NAACP, and others to raise awareness of 

ARP funded opportunities and request feedback. Additional project-specific efforts to promote equity have been 

focused on several education-related initiatives, including the Minnesota Department of Education Summer 
Minnesota Recovery Plan: State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds 2021 Report 6

Preschool program, Academic and Mental Health Supports program, Expanding Access to Tutoring program, and 

Strengthening Adult Basic Education program.

Prioritizing equity in program design

The Minnesota Department of Education (MDE)programs listed above are intended to reach historically 

underserved communities and children who have one or more risk factors or who may not have been able to 

attend a high-quality early childhood program due to COVID-19. MDE defines historically underserved as:

• Students of color or American Indian students 

• Students eligible for free or reduced-price meals 

• Students receiving special education services 

• Students who are English Learners 

• Students experiencing homelessness 

Program-specific strategies to prioritize equity are as follows:

Program Strategies to Prioritize Equity

E37C041: Summer Preschool To meet the equity-related goals of the Summer Preschool project, a set of 

priority populations was developed. These include:

• Children in foster care, under child protection, experiencing

homelessness, tribally enrolled, or the children of teenage parents

• Children at risk for or currently receiving supports and services such 

as Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE) or English language 

learners

• Children qualifying for free and reduced-price lunch or other public 

assistance programs that demonstrate a household income of 185 

percent or less of the federal poverty guidelines

E37C042: Academic and 

Mental Health Supports

The allocation of these funds to each public school district and charter 

school was calculated on 40 percent average daily membership and 60

percent concentration of historically underserved students with an emphasis 

on students needing special education services.

E37C040: Strengthening Adult 

Basic Education Programming

Participantsin Adult Basic Education programsfall into one or more of the 

following categories: English language learners, low levels of literacy, or 

facing cultural barriers to employment.

E37C043: Expanding Access to 

Tutoring

Entities applying to the Expanding Access to Tutoring program are evaluated 

based on their percentage of historically underserved students. 
Minnesota Recovery Plan: State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds 2021 Report 7

Equity-related goals

Recognizing the long-term nature and intent of the American Rescue Plan, Minnesota continuesto thoughtfully 

craft a plan to ensure an equitable recovery benefiting all people living and working in the state. Specific equityrelated goals for current projects are:

• Closing Gaps: Summer Preschool supports children before they enter kindergarten, and specifically 

those who have experienced life circumstances that may have prevented them from being able to 

attend a high-quality early childhood program due to COVID-19. Programs are to prioritize children 

meeting one of the priority populations listed above and those who had minimal or interrupted early 

learning experience. 

• Reaching Universal Levels of Service: The Academic and Mental Health Support programis intended to 

provide academic enrichment and mental health for students, families, educators, communities, and 

schools across Minnesota, with an emphasis on historically underserved students and those needing 

special education services. Adult Basic Education funding is intended to enhance the preexisting 

programand expand its impact among adults who have aged out of the K-12 systemor were otherwise 

unable to complete their high school level education through the K-12 system. The Expanding Access to 

Tutoring program intentionally prioritizes historically underserved students and supports access to 

tutoring as Minnesota recovers from the pandemic.

The State of Minnesota will continue to update equity-related goals as pandemic recovery continues and 

additional projects begin. 

Raising awareness of funding opportunities

The Minnesota Department of Education is working with other state agencies, counties, navigators, andthe 

following community partners to raise awareness of funding opportunities among the following groups:

• Public school districts

• Charterschools and other eligible institutions

• Child Care Aware of Minnesota and local Child Care Aware agencies

• Early learning scholarship area administrators

• Preschool development hubs

• Community Solution grantees that have direct relationships with families

• County and tribal childcare assistance workers

• Early learning scholarship administrators 

Access and distribution

The Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) constructed a list of Summer Preschool funded programs and an 

interactivemap for families to find programs with Summer Preschool funds in their area. The list and map 

include contact information for each program, so families can contact programs in their area to see if they have 

Summer Preschool seats available. MDE alsocreated a Summer Preschool flyer for families and translated it into 

Amharic, Hmong, Karen, Oromo, Russian, Simplified Chinese, Somali, Spanish, and Vietnamese. 
Minnesota Recovery Plan: State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds 2021 Report 8

$20 million in Summer Preschool funds was allocated to serve at least 4,145 children statewide. The distribution 

of funding for the Summer Preschool programis as follows:

• For every $4,800 allocated in Summer Preschool funding, programs must serve at least one child, but 

were to serve more as funds allowed.

• A formula based on child poverty concentration was used to determine the amount of funding available 

for each eligible school district, charter school, and Head Start program, as well as the amount available 

in each county for eligible three- or four-star rated childcare programs. The formula used the percentage 

of kindergarten free and reduced-priced lunch determine the poverty concentration for each county. 

This formula intended to ensure that children across the state had access to funds. Funding was also 

targeted to the geographic areas with the highest need. 

• Within each county, childcare programs were funded basedon the percentage of children in a priority 

population served and the number of vacancies.

• There were seven counties in which no programs applied for funding, so while the formula originally 

distributed funds to all counties, funds were not awarded due to the lack of applications. 

• Funded programs have been encouraged to form or expand partnerships to serve children, especially if 

demand exceeds the capacity or to share resources across programs. 

The Academic and Mental Health Supports program funding was distributedto each public school district and 

charter school basedon 40 percent average daily membership and 60 percent on concentration of historically 

underserved students, with an emphasis on students receiving special education services. Adult Basic Education 

program funds will be distributed among 39 Adult Education consortia, which together cover the entire state of 

Minnesota and provide services to individuals at more than 300 sites across the state. Servicesfunded by the 

Expanding Access to Tutoring program are targeted toward historically underserved communities, and services 

are most likely to be offered in underserved communities.

Services to disproportionately impacted communities

Current programs prioritize service to disproportionately impacted communities, reflecting the State of 

Minnesota’s overall commitment to equity. Minnesota Department of Education’s 10 Commitments to Equity

expands on the state’s focus on this area. The programs outlined in this report will provide demographic and 

participant-level data to enable analysis of equity-related outcomes. Recipients may be required to identify

targetedgoals of their program and will be asked to report on progress toward those goals throughout the 

lifecycle of the grant, where applicable.

Community Engagement

General ARP outreach

The State of Minnesota is prioritizing public engagement and community outreachas it determines how to use 

ARP funds. The state created a website and conducted a series of ten online events explaining the various ARP 

funds available and encouraging public comment on how the state could use these funds. These events provided 

an opportunity for constituents to share feedback and ask questions. Additional events are expected as the state 
Minnesota Recovery Plan: State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds 2021 Report 9

continues its outreach efforts around ARP funds. Minnesota also provided an online form for constituents to 

share their ideas for the use of ARP funds. The form can be completed in English, Hmong, Spanish, or Somali.

Date of Event Group

July 8 Urban Native Leaders

July 13 State Councils

July 15 API Roundtable

July 22 NAACP

July 23 TakeAction MN

July 27 Covid Community Coordinators

July 27 Council of Foundations

July 29 SE MN League of Municipalities

August 3 Latino Lead

August 5 Council of Nonprofits

Education outreach

MDE recognizes the importance of gathering ideas and feedback from parents, caregivers,and students on the 

use of the ARP education funds, especially from traditionally underrepresented groups and communities 

disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 global pandemic. The public comment period effort involved a 

survey that was available in English, Hmong, Somali, Spanish, and offered special instructions for Karen native 

speakers to submit feedback. The survey generated more than 4,000 comments.

Read more about MDE’s community engagement in American Rescue Plan in Minnesota: Community 

Engagement.

Labor Practices

Minnesota has not yet begun any ARP-funded infrastructure projects. The state will provide information related 

to labor practicesin future reports, if applicable.

Use of Evidence

The Results Management teamat Minnesota Management and Budget is a national leader in assessing the 

effectiveness of social programs, and is available to assist agenciesindrafting or reviewing RFP language related 

to evidence-based interventions, evaluation, and developing plans for an evaluation to generate new evidence. 

Minnesota’s Results First website provides resources to guide agencies’ evidence-building and decision-making 

practices.

State agencies are encouraged to use the Request for Proposal (RFP) process to promote the use of evidencebased interventions and conduct rigorous impact evaluations. Agencies will report information annually to the 

COVID-19 Response Accountability Office to fulfill federal reporting requirements. Reporting will include the 

goals of the project, whether funds are being used for evidence-based interventions, and the details of any 
Minnesota Recovery Plan: State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds 2021 Report 10

planned evaluations. For priority categories specified by the U.S. Department of Treasury, reporting will include 

the dollar amount allocated toward evidence-based interventions.

Specific strategies regarding the use of evidence in current programs are included in the Project Inventory 

section of this report.

Table of Expenses by Expenditure Category

Category Cumulative 

expenditures to date ($)

Amount spent since 

last Recovery Plan

3 Expenditure Category: Services to 

Disproportionately Impacted Communities

3.1 Education Assistance: Early Learning $14,744,633.75 $14,744,633.75

3.3 Education Assistance: Academic Services $557.92 $557.92

3.4 Education Assistance: Social, Emotional, and Mental 

Health Services 

$248,411.94 $248,411.94

3.5 Education Assistance: Other $2,238.31 $2,238.31

7 Administrative and Other

7.4 Transfers to Non-Entitlement Units 

(States and Territories only)

$156,015,513.40 $156,015,513.40

Project Inventory

Project E37C041: Summer Preschool

Funding amount: $20,000,000

Project Expenditure Category: 3.1, Education Assistance: Early Learning

Project overview

The goal of the Summer Preschool programis to provide access to a high-quality early learning program that 

helps children develop their social-emotional skills before they begin kindergarten. Funds are specifically 

intended to serve historically underserved communities and children who have one or more risk factors or who 

may not have been able to attend a high-quality early education program due to COVID-19.

Promoting equitable outcomes

MDE determined a set of priority populations to ensure funds were targeted towards children with the highest 

needs. Funding supports children who were four or five years of age as of September 1, 2020 and have not yet 

attended kindergarten. Priority for the Summer Preschool program is given to the following:

• Children in foster care, under child protection, experiencing homelessness, tribally enrolled, or the 

children of teenage parents
Minnesota Recovery Plan: State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds 2021 Report 11

• Children at risk for or currently receiving supports and services such as Early Childhood Special 

Education (ECSE) or English language learners

• Children qualifying for free and reduced-price lunch or other public assistance programs that

demonstrate a household income of 185 percent or less of the federal poverty guidelines

The highest priority for this program was given to children qualifying under multiple categories. In conjunction 

with the criteria listed above, program administrators use a secondary set of criteria to determine need:

• Children who have not attended or had an in-person prekindergarten experience

• Children who had interruptions to their prekindergarten experience

• Children who have received fewer than 350 prekindergarten instructional hours 

• Children who would benefit from summer enrollment leading to kindergarten

Community engagement

MDE is working with state agencies, local governments, navigators, and community partners to ensure program 

success. Partner organizations include Child Care Aware of Minnesota and local Child Care Aware agencies, Early 

Learning Scholarship Area Administrators, Preschool Development Hubs, and Community Solution grantees that 

have direct relationships with families. County and tribal childcare assistance workers and early learning 

scholarship administrators were encouraged to reach out to families on their waiting list to make them of aware 

of summer learning scholarship opportunities.

Use of evidence

Research has shown that a child’s access to and participation in a high-quality early learning program better 

prepares the child as they transition into kindergarten and beyond. This has been found particularly evident for 

children with factors in theirlife that might cause opportunity gaps such as poverty, physical or mental abuse, 

developmental delays, or have experienced trauma.

Programsreceiving Summer Preschool funds must meet the program requirements known to have the most 

recognized elements of quality as identified by National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) and 

the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. In Minnesota, these are the voluntary prekindergarten (VPK) and school 

readiness plus (SRP) program requirements that include using knowledgeable and licensed early childhood 

professionals, expanded program instructional dosage hours, low teacher-child ratios, using a comprehensive 

curriculum, parent engagement for transition planning, and interaction between community service providers. 

State funded early childhood education programs are listed as Proven Effective in the Minnesota inventory of 

evidence-based practices and are considered categorically evidence-based, meaning 100 percent of funds in this 

project are anticipated to go towards evidence-based interventions

Outcomes and evaluation

The evaluation design for this program will collect information that will provide understanding of how local 

programs provided summer programs that used and combined this funding with other sources, what program 
Minnesota Recovery Plan: State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds 2021 Report 12

supports the funds were spent on, and who participated in the program. The participation data will be tied to 

the student’s ongoing enrollment and enable tracking progress across time as they enter the K-12 system.

Programs will report demographic data for each child that benefited from Summer Preschool Funds. Children 

participating in the Summer Preschool program will be assigned or matched to a previously assigned State 

Student ID, that potentially may be able to tie to previous and or limited data such as Kindergarten Entrance 

Profile assessment if they were enrolled in a VPK or SRP program, or through longitudinal data to third grade 

Reading Scores.

Project E37C042: Academic and mental health supports for schools and districts

Funding amount: $34,614,000

Project Expenditure Category: 3.4, Education Assistance: Social, Emotional, and Mental Health Services 

Project overview

The primary goal of these funds is to support summer programming that will support academic enrichment and 

mental health starting in summer 2021 for students, families, educators, communities, and schools across 

Minnesota. Unspent funds from these initial allocations will be carried forward to support the implementation 

of these goals into summer programming for 2022. The expectation was shared with partner organizationsthat

these programs should be posted online, communicated through school newsletters, and promoted through 

community partners.

Promoting equity

The allocation of these funds to each public school district and charter school was calculated on 40 percent

average daily membership (ADM) and 60 percent concentration of historically underserved students with an 

emphasis on students needing special education services. Historically underserved is defined as: 

• Students of color or American Indian students 

• Students eligible for free or reduced-price meals 

• Students receiving special education services 

• Students who are English learners 

• Students experiencing homelessness 

Community engagement

Starting in April 2021, MDE facilitated sessions with public school districts, charterschools, and other public 

education entities to communicate the goals, and describe in detail each area of best practice targeted with 

these funds. MDE emphasizeddata analysis of school populations, and that this program targeted students most 

impacted by the COVID-19 disruption to learning. MDE encouraged public districts and charter schools to 

include active partnerships with community mental health, social service, and support groups to identify 

students and families in communicating these programming opportunities for summer of 2021. MDE will hold 
Minnesota Recovery Plan: State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds 2021 Report 13

informational sessionsto gather feedback from those that offered programming to assess supports that may be 

needed to evolve and further educate funding for summer programming in 2022.

Use of evidence

Public school districts, charter schools, and other public education entities will receive a general allocation to 

implement evidence-based best practices to support students, create partnerships, and provide services in the 

following areas: 

• Expand mental health and well-being supports to youth and adolescents attending school district and 

charter school summer learning programs. 

• Partner with community businesses and organizations to develop a summer mentor or tutoring model 

that covers enrichment programming and other costs such as transportation and meals to increase 

student participation. 

• Bring school-based summer programs into the community, providing opportunities for enrichment, 

social and emotional skill building, mental health supports, and tutoring services. 

• Provide students with summer field trips for hands-on learning opportunities, including trips to nature 

centers, state parks, zoos, museums,or theaters. 

Each goal is an evidenced-based strategy, tied closely to the Community Schools concept. This structure 

provides a community approach that brings together families, educators and community partners to meet the 

comprehensive needs of students.

Some aspects of academically-focused summer learning programs are listed as Proven Effective in the 

Minnesota inventory of evidence-based practices. Grantees will report to MDE on their use of funds, and this 

information will be used to determine the percent of project funds spent on evidence-basedinterventions. The 

state will provide this information in future reports.

Evidence base:

• Maier et al., Community Schools as an Effective School Improvement Strategy: A Review of the Evidence 

(Palo Alto, CA: Learning Policy Institute, 2017).

• J. Daniel, K. H. Quartz, and J. Oakes, “Teaching in Community Schools: Creating Conditions for Deeper 

Learning,” Review of Research in Education 43, no. 1 (2019): 453–480.

Outcomes and evaluation

These funds were made available for use by public districts, charter schools, and other public education entities

as of June 2021 for summer programming. MDE will collect student participation numbers for funded summer 

programs in the Fall of 2021. This information will be based on the applications and targeted goals provided by 

public districts, charter schools, and other public education entities submitted for fiscal years 2021 and 2022.

Potential Key Performance Indicatorsinclude:
Minnesota Recovery Plan: State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds 2021 Report 14

• Number of students participating in expanded mental health and well-being supports to youth and 

adolescents attending school district and charter school summer learning programs. 

• Number of students participating in summer mentor or tutoring model that covers enrichment 

programming and other costs such as transportation and meals to increase student participation. 

• Number of students participating in the community, providing opportunities for enrichment, social and 

emotional skill building, mental health supports, and tutoring services. 

• Number of students participating in summer field trips for hands-on learning opportunities.

Project E37C040: Strengthening Adult Basic Education (ABE) Programming

Funding amount: $10,000,000

Project Expenditure Category: 3.5, Education Assistance: Other

Project overview

The Adult Education systemin Minnesota exists to serve the educational needs of individuals age 17 and older 

who lack a high school credential or who need to improve their English-language skills. The system promotes 

educational equity by offering educational services to those who have aged out of the K-12 system, or otherwise 

were not able to complete their high school level education through the K-12 system.

This specific project adds funds to the Adult Education system to enhance current programming and services. 

These funds will help adult education students work towards the outcome of improved English proficiency, 

obtaining an adult high school diploma or high school equivalency diploma (such as the GED®), pursuing a career 

pathway, or enrolling into college. The funds will be distributed among 39 Adult Education consortia, which 

together cover the entire state of Minnesota and provide services to individuals at more than 300 sites across 

the state. Goals for ABE programs are as follows:

• Increase ABE programming statewide, including English Language Learning, Standard Adult High School 

Diploma, High School Equivalency preparation, and Adult Career Pathway Programming

• Help purchase devices and internet access hotspots for adult learners

• Provide more high school equivalency testing

• Launch additional or more robust programming that is currently too expensive, including adult career 

pathway programming

• Collaborate with workforce development partners, postsecondary institutions and employers to expand 

career services, navigation services, and integrated education and training programming to help adults, 

including English language learners, reenter the workforce.

Promoting equity

ABE participants fall into one or more of these categories: English language learners, low levels of literacy, or 

have cultural barriers to employment. More than 80 percent of Minnesota’s ABE participants identify as 

American Indian or Alaskan Native, Asian, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Native Hawaiian or 
Minnesota Recovery Plan: State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds 2021 Report 15

Other Pacific Islander, or More than One Race. In2019 and 2020, 38.6 percent of Minnesota’s ABE participants 

reported their race as Black or African American. More than one third of Minnesota’s ABE participants have selfidentified as being low-income. Each ABE provider is required to articulate their equity work as part of their 

reauthorization for state funding.

Community engagement

The Minnesota Department of Education is working with a state-funded grantee overseeing a multi-year equity 

analysis of the state’s ABE system. As part of this work, MDE will form advisory boards and obtain input on the 

state’s ABE system that must come from diverse participants, staff, and stakeholders. The boards and the 

analysis will focus on how ABE can better serve underserved groups. 

Use of evidence

ABE uses research-based practices in its work, including incorporation of the College and Career Readiness 

Standards for Adult Education (CCRS); Northstar Digital Literacy Standards; Academic, Career and Employability 

Skills Transitions Integration Framework (ACES TIF); and Student Achievement in Reading (STAR).

Grantees will report to MDE on their use of funds, and this information will be used to determine the percent of 

project funds spent on evidence-based interventions. The state will provide this information in future reports.

Outcomes and evaluation

Adult Education services across the State of Minnesota are regularly evaluated through several means, including 

standardized testing of all learners as required by the National Reporting Service, annual reporting of student 

and programs outcomes by grantees to Minnesota Department of Education, an extensive narrative 

reapplication process completed every five to six years, and a year-long Program Improvement process for 

underperforming grantees. These funds will continue to support ongoing evaluation efforts for the entire field.

These funds were made available for use by Adult Education programs as of July 1, 2021, but there has not yet 

been any required reporting to the Minnesota Department of Education. Many Adult Education programs have 

less programming during the summer months; increased use of these funds is anticipatedto begin in Fall 2021.

Project E37C043: Expanding Access to Tutoring

Funding amount: $3,250,000

Project Expenditure Category: 3.3, Academic Services 

Project overview

The Expanding Access to Tutoring grant provides funding to support access to tutoring for kindergarten through 

grade 12 students as Minnesota recovers from the pandemic. This grant is part of a larger funding opportunity, 

recently appropriated to the commissioner of education. Grant funds may include but are not limited to: 
Minnesota Recovery Plan: State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds 2021 Report 16

• Mental health services and supports

• Social, emotional, and physical health supports

• Summer learning or enrichment programs 

• Other activities that are necessary to maintain the operation and continuity of services in youth 

development and education, prioritizing the needs of historically underserved groups

Promoting equitable outcomes

Eligible granteesfor this program area have been placed in four quartiles based on their number of historically 

underserved students. A list of eligible grantees and their quartiles will be published along with the grant 

application materials. Priority points will be awarded based on applicant’s percentage of historically

underserved students, with more points for a higher number of students. Numbers of historically underserved 

students are based on attendance data from October 1, 2020. Categories include:

• Students of color and American Indian students

• Students eligible for free or reduced-price meals

• Students receiving special education services

• Englishor multilingual learners

• Homeless students

Grantees are required to provide financial and performance reports throughout the lifecycle of the grant. MDE 

provided significant marketing of this programto facilitate equal access to the opportunities. MDE is analyzing 

which regions and communities received funding in the first round of grants so they may target marketing 

toward underrepresented regions for the next round of grants.

Community engagement

MDE conducted virtual public input sessions in May and June 2021 with stakeholders from the following groups: 

• Students

• Parents and families

• Minnesota Tribal Nations Education Committee

• American Indian individuals

• Disability rights organizations and advocates

• Special education administrators

• Stakeholders representing the interests of English learners, youth in foster care, migrant students, 

students who are incarcerated, and students experiencing homelessness

During these conversations, groups identified seven strategies as aligning with the needs of students ten or 

more times, including needs to: 

• Expand access to tutoring
Minnesota Recovery Plan: State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds 2021 Report 17

• Expand full-service community schools that provide wraparound services to students and their families, 

including dental care and mental health supports

• Increase student support personnel, including counselors, social workers, school psychologists, school 

nurses, and chemicaldependency staff

• Expand language access for families who do not speak English as a first language, including translation 

services, cultural liaisons, and culturally specific public engagement

• Implement a multi-tiered teaching framework to provide high-quality instruction that is responsive to 

the needs of all learners

• Expand after school activities and summer learning opportunities

• Increase staff hiring to reduce class sizes

Multiple stakeholder groups noted that existing community groups and local service providers may be better 

positioned to provide some of these services, given the specialization of some organizations and existing 

relationships with the communities that have been acutely affected by the pandemic.

Use of evidence

The Expanding Access to Tutoring program draws on a number of evidence bases to inform program design, 

such as:

• Dietrichson, Jens & Bøg, Martin & Filges, Trine & Jørgensen, Anne-Marie. (2017). Academic Interventions 

for Elementary and Middle School Students With Low Socioeconomic Status: A Systematic Review and 

Meta-Analysis. Review of Educational Research. 87. 243-282. 10.3102/0034654316687036.

• Harris, D. N. (2008). Toward Policy-Relevant Benchmarks for Interpreting Effect Sizes: Combining Effects 

With Costs. University of Wisconsin at Madison. 

Tutoring programs are listed as Proven Effective in the Minnesota inventory of evidence-based practices and are 

considered categorically evidence-based, meaning 100 percent of funds in this project are anticipated to go 

towards evidence-based interventions.

Outcomes and evaluation

Grants for this program were awarded in July 2021 and reporting data is not yet available. Performance 

indicators will include the number of students participating in the program, disaggregated by race and ethnicity, 

gender, and other categories. The goal of the program is to provide additional resources to support access to 

tutoring for kindergarten through grade 12 students as Minnesota recovers from the pandemic.
Minnesota Recovery Plan: State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds 2021 Report 18

Performance Report

Performance data is not yet available for current projects. This data will be included in future reports. 

Mandatory performance indicators for current projects are listed in the table below. Additional performance 

indicators may be added based on grantee project design.

Project Federally Mandated Performance Indicators

E37C041: Summer Preschool

Number of students participating in evidence-based tutoring programs

E37C042: Academic and Mental 

Health Supports Number of students participating in evidence-based tutoring programs

E37C040: Strengthening Adult Basic 

Education Programming Number of students participating in evidence-based tutoring programs

E37C043: Expanding Access to 

Tutoring Number of students participating in evidence-based tutoring programs

Ineligible Activities: Tax Offset Provision

Item Amount

a. Revenue-reducing Covered Changes $ 0

The amount carried for revenue-reducing covered changes represents the impact of tax law changes ($0) for 

fiscal year 2021 made during the 2021 legislative session after March 3, 2021. The enacted tax bill did impact 

fiscal years 2022 through 2025 with estimated tax revenues from changes totaling $897 million lower than the 

baseline revenue forecast over the four-year period. The majority of revenue loss, $715 million, from the 

enacted bill is the result of conformity to federal Unemployment Insurance and Paycheck Protection Program

provisions.