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   Senate   
State of Minnesota
 
 
 
 
 
S.F. No. 811 - E-12 Omnibus Summary (Second Engrossment)
 
Author: Senator Charles W. Wiger
 
Prepared By: Ann Marie Lewis, Senate Counsel (651/296-5301)
Bjorn E. Arneson, Senate Analyst (651/296-3812)
 
Date: April 28, 2015



 

Article 1 - General Education

Section 1. Agreements. Provides that a reciprocity agreement governing enrollment of pupils from an adjoining state may specify terms related to provision of early childhood special education services.

Effective date. Makes this section effective July 1, 2015.

Section 2. Pupil accounting. Provides that a prekindergarten pupil from an adjoining state who resides at a Minnesota address and is receiving early childhood special education services from a Minnesota school district is considered enrolled in a Minnesota school district.

Effective date. Makes this section effective July 1, 2015.

Section 3. Career and technical revenue. Modifies the proportion of career and technical expenditures eligible for revenue. Strikes obsolete language. Clarifies when salaries for nonlicensed community experts are eligible for revenue.

Effective date. Makes this section effective for revenue in fiscal year 2017 and later.

Section 4. General education revenue. Strikes obsolete language. Makes conforming change to definition of general education revenue.

Section 5. Basic revenue. Strikes obsolete language. Increases the formula allowance by $58 in fiscal year 2016 and an additional $59 in fiscal year 2017.

Section 6. Extended support revenue. Modifies the name of the program. Provides that extended support revenue may be used by ALCs serving high school students for academic purposes during the school day.

Section 7. Operating capital levy. Modifies the operating capital levy equalizing factors for fiscal year 2017 and later.

Section 8. Transportation sparsity revenue. Modifies the calculation of transportation sparsity revenue.

Effective date. Makes this section effective for revenue in fiscal year 2016 and later.

Section 9. Building allocation. Modifies the allocation of compensatory revenue. Allows a school district or cooperating to allocate up to 50 percent of the revenue according to a plan adopted by the school board.

Effective date. Makes this section effective July 1, 2015.

Section 10. General education funding. Makes conforming change to definition of revenue for the Crosswinds school.

Section 11.  Listed districts may form intermediate district.  Allows school districts located in Carver, Scott and Le Sueur Counties to enter into an agreements related to facilities and instruction in special education, career and technical education, adult basic education, and alternative education.

Section 12.  Joint School Board; Members; Bylaws.

Subdivision 1. Board.  The agreement must provide for a joint school board, along with provisions for election or appointment of members, membership terms and qualifications, and other provisions.

Subd. 2. Bylaws.  Allows the joint board to adopt bylaws specifying the duties and powers of the officers and meeting dates.

Section 13. Status of Joint School Board.

Subdivision 1. Public Agency.  Requires the joint board to be a public agency of the participating school districts.  Permits the board to receive and disburse federal and state funds.

Subd. 2. Liability.  Limits the individual liability of board members and participating school districts.

Subd. 3. Tax Exempt.  Exempts from taxation any property belonging to or used by the board for its purposes.

Section 14. Joint Board Has All Powers of Member Districts. The joint board has all the powers granted to the participating school districts.

Section 15. Agreement Approval; Notice; Petition; Referendum.

Subdivision 1. Resolution. The board of each participating school district is required to pass a resolution to approve the agreement.

Subd. 2. When Effective.  Requires each resolution to be published.  The resolution is effective 30 days after publication, unless a petition for referendum on the resolution is filed.  In that case, the resolution becomes effective after the vote at a regular or special election.

Section 16. District Contributions, Disbursements, Contracts.  Allows the participating school districts to contribute funds to the board.

Section 17. Term of Agreement.  Requires the length of the agreement to be stated within the agreement.

Section 18. Non-Postsecondary Programs; Licensed Direction.  Allows the board to provide any requested educational programs or services, except for postsecondary programs or services.

Section 19. Other Membership and Powers. Membership of other school districts, cities, counties, and other governmental units may be included in the agreement.  The board may provide the same services and assistance provided by service cooperatives under Section 123A.21, subdivisions 7 and 8.

Section 20. Compensatory revenue; intermediate district. Provides that compensatory revenue for an intermediate district formed out of the former South Metro Educational Cooperative is based on the prior year pupil counts at the cooperative.

Section 21. Reciprocity agreement exemption; Hendricks. Exempts the Hendricks school district from the state’s reciprocity agreement with South Dakota.

Effective date. Makes this section effective for the 2015-2016 school year and later.

Section 22. School district levy adjustments. Directs the Commissioner of Education to adjust each school district tax rate and equalizing factor if a 2015 regular or special session tax bill makes changes to the underlying tax base.

Section 23. Independent School District No. 761, Owatonna Public Schools; referendum revenue authorization. Modifies the referendum allowance amount for Owatonna Public Schools originally authorized in November 2013.

Section 24. Appropriations. See fiscal tracking sheets.

 Article 2 - Education Excellence

Section 1. Rigorous course taking information; AP, IB, and PSEO. Directs the Commissioner to disaggregate data including in the report on rigorous course taking.  Adds career and technical education courses offered as a concurrent enrollment course in the report.

Section 2. Title. States that the title of sections 121A.395 to 121A.3951 is the “Student Support Services Personnel Act.”

Section 3. Student Support Services Personnel Grant Program.

Subdivision 1. Definitions. Provides a definition of “student support services personnel” and “new position” for the purposes of the act.

Subd. 2. Purpose. Clarifies the purpose of the grant program, including addressing shortages of student support services personnel, decreasing caseloads, and other purposes.

Subd. 3. Grant eligibility and application. Provides that a school district, charter school, intermediate school district, or other cooperative unit is eligible to apply for a six-year grant.  Directs the commissioner to award grants to eligible schools based on criteria that include existing student support services personnel caseloads, school demographics, Title 1 revenue, Minnesota Student Survey data, graduation rates, and postsecondary completion rates.

Subd. 4. Allowed uses. Provides that a grant under this section must be used to hire a new position.  Requires a local, nonfederal match during each year of the grant.

Subd. 5. Report required. Requires a grant recipient to report annually on outcomes attributable to the new positions funded by the grant.

 Section 4. Teacher preparation program data; report.  Directs each teacher preparation program to collect data about outcomes for its teacher candidates.  Requires the programs to publish summary data on their programs’ efficacy, including: four-year graduation rates, licensure attainment, employment rates and satisfaction rates.

Effective Date.  Makes the section effective immediately and applicable to reports published beginning June 1, 2016.

Section 5. Qualifying plan. Allows a cooperative unit, as defined in section 123A.24, subdivision 2, to develop an educational improvement plan to qualify for the alternative teacher professional pay system.

Effective Date. Makes the section effective for revenue for fiscal year 2017 and later.

Section 6. Plan components. Allows a governing board to an educational improvement plan in order to qualify for the alternative teacher professional pay system.

 Effective Date. Makes the section effective for revenue for fiscal year 2017 and later.

Section 7. Restructured pay system. Includes cooperatives, as defined in section 123A.24, subdivision 2, in the restructured alternative teacher professional pay system.

Effective Date. Makes the section effective for revenue for fiscal year 2017 and later.

Section 8. Transitional planning year.  Allows a cooperative, excluding an intermediate school district, to participate in the alternative teacher professional pay system if, one school year before the cooperative expects to fully implement the pay system the board submits a letter of intent to the Department and a record of a formal vote of the teachers employed by the cooperative.

Effective Date. Makes the section effective for revenue for fiscal year 2017 and later.

Section 9. Alternative teacher professional pay system. Allows cooperatives to participate in the alternative teacher professional pay system.  Includes a hiring bonus or other added compensation for a teacher who works in hard-to-fill positions or hard-to-staff school settings in the reformation of the “steps and lanes” salary schedule.

Effective Date. Makes the section effective for revenue for fiscal year 2017 and later.

Section 10. Cooperative applications. Provides the application requirements for cooperative units, excluding intermediate school districts, to participate in the alternative teacher professional pay system.

Effective Date. Makes the section effective for revenue for fiscal year 2017 and later.

Section 11. Approval process. Allows cooperatives to participate in the alternative teacher professional pay system.

Effective Date. Makes the section effective for revenue for fiscal year 2017 and later.

Section 12. Report; continued funding. Includes cooperatives in the reporting requirements for the alternative teacher professional pay system.

Effective Date. Makes the section effective for revenue for fiscal year 2017 and later.

Section 13. Alternative Compensation Revenue. Provides a formula for a cooperative, including an intermediate school district, basic alternative teacher compensation aid.

Effective Date. Makes the section effective for revenue for fiscal year 2017 and later.

Section 14. Principals’ Leadership Development.

Subdivision 1. Establishment.  Allows the Commissioner to contract with the University of Minnesota’s principals’ leadership academy and Minnesota State University Mankato to provide research-based professional development for licensed principals and other school leaders. 

Subd. 2. Selection methods and admission processes.  (a) Allows a charter school leader or licensed principal to apply to attend a program.

(b)  Allows for applications and recommendation lists to be submitted to the administrator of a program, instead of the Commissioner.  Establishes a committee to make a recommendation to the program administrator from the pool of applicants.  Requires that the recommended list of applicants be regionally divers and include charter school leaders.  Each year, a program administrator is required to select applicants and notify them of their selection to participate in the academy. 

Subd. 3.  Program delivery.  Requires an academy to be offered annually in the seven-county metropolitan area and in greater Minnesota.  The greater Minnesota program must be at one of the Centers of Excellence in cooperation with the Minnesota Department of Education.

Section 15. Teacher-powered schools; grants. Provides grants for teacher powered schools, which are school sites in which the teacher comprise the governance structure of the school and assume responsibility for the school’s success.  Requires grant recipients to report annually to the commissioner and the legislature on the success measures of teacher-powered schools, including the state multiple measures, survey of parental satisfaction, and other measures relevant to the school’s special mission.

Section 16. Authorization; notification.  Allows 9th or 10th grade students to participate in a concurrent enrollment course at the discretion of the school district, instead of allowing for enrollment after all the 11th and 12th grade students have applied and more students are necessary to offer the course.

Section 17. Limit on Participation. Waives the limit on participation in PSEO, if the school district determines that the student is not on track to graduate.

Section 18.   Full-service community schools.

Subdivision 1. Definitions. Defines the following terms: community organization, community school consortium, community school programming, high-quality child care or early childhood programming, school site, and site coordinator.

Subd. 2. Full-service community school program. (a) Directs the commissioner to fund eligible school sites.  An eligible school site must be a school that is on a development plan for continuous improvement or a school in a district that has an approved achievement and integration plan.

(b) School sites must receive up to $100,000 annually and hire a site coordinator.

(c) Implementation funding is up to $20,000 for one year for planning.

(d) Requires a school site to have a 12 to 15 member school leadership team to develop school-specific programming goals, assessing program needs, and overseeing the process of implementing expanded programming at the site.

(e) Requires a school site to do a baseline analysis before beginning programming as a full-service community school.

(f) School sites must establish at least two of the following types of programming: early childhood, academic, parental involvement, mental and physical health, community involvement, positive discipline practices, and other programming designed to meet school and community needs identified in the baseline analysis. 

(g) Requires the school leadership team to develop a detailed plan that includes the following: establishment and operation of the school leadership team; maintenance of attendance records; maintenance of measurable data showing participation and effects of programming on participants; collaboration between the school and community stakeholders; compliance with the district nondiscrimination policy; and school leadership team development.

Subd. 3. Full-service community school review. (a) Establishes a three year review for schools to report to the commissioner.  The report must include the following:

  1. an assessment of the effectiveness of the school site in implementing the plan;
  2. problems encountered in the development or implementation of the plan;
  3. the operation of the leadership team and the team’s contribution to the successful execution of the plan;
  4. recommendations for improvements to programming;
  5. the number and percentage of students receiving programming who had not been previously served;
  6. the number and percentage of nonstudent community members receiving programming who had not been previously served;
  7. student retention improvements;
  8. academic achievement improvements;
  9. changes in student school readiness, involvement in learning and their community, physical, social and emotional health, and relationships with school and community environment;
  10. an accounting of anticipated local budget savings;
  11. family involvement improvements;
  12. assessment of community stakeholder satisfaction;
  13. assessment of institutional partner satisfaction;
  14. the ability to continue services in the absence of future full-service community school funding;
  15. increases in access to services; and
  16. the degree of increased collaboration among agencies and private partners.

(b) Requires the commissioner to evaluate the reports submitted by the schools on the following criteria:

  1. the effectiveness of the school in implementing the full-service community plan;
  2. the extent to which the project delivered lessons on ways to improve programming for students;
  3. the degree to which there has been an increase in students and nonstudents receiving programming;
  4. the degree to which there has been an improvement in student retention and academic achievement among students receiving programming;
  5. local budget savings;
  6. degree of community stakeholder and institutional partner engagement;
  7. the ability to continue services in the absence of future full-service community school funding;
  8. increased access to services for students and their families; and
  9. the degree of increased collaboration among agencies and private partners.

Section 19.  Innovative Incubator Service-Learning Grants.  Subdivision 1. Establishment; Eligibility Criteria; Application Requirements. (a) Establishes a five-year grant program to expand service-learning opportunities for students in early childhood programs through grade 12.

(b) Requires formation of an authentic student-adult partnership that includes one or more community-based organizations or government units in order to be eligible for an innovative, incubator service-learning grant.  Before applying for a grant, participating students must work with an adult partner to identify an issue, need, or opportunity to pursue through a partnership and invite a possible partner to collaborate in developing a grant application.  Requires the partnership to including, at a minimum, the following:

(1) at least a group of enrolled students, two or more school district employees, and an eligible community-based organization or unit of government; and

(2) assist students to:

(i) actively participate in service-learning experiences;

(ii) operate collaboratively with service-learning partnership members;

(iii) align service-learning experiences with students’ individualized educational plans and programs;

(iv) apply students’ knowledge and skills in their community and help solve community problems;

(v) foster students’ civic engagement; and

(vi) explore and pursue career pathways and achieve college readiness.

Establishes requirements for contents of the application.  Requires the partnership to work with a district service-learning specialist or service-learning coordinator or a district curriculum specialist to design a grant application and implement an approved grant application.

Subd. 2.  Innovation Grants. Allows for up to four grants of up to $30,000 each for innovative, incubator service-learning opportunities.  Requires the partnership to provide a one-to-one match in funds or in-kind contributions unless the commissioner waives the requirement. 

Subd. 3. Evaluation. Directs the Commissioner to evaluate these initiatives based on educational and developmental outcomes of participating students.  The evaluation must include summary data on the characteristics and extent of students’ participating in service learning, their development of academic skills or achievements, and their engagement in school, school attendance, course completion rates, opportunity to develop community, college, or career connections, and graduation rates.  The Commissioner must also look at community outcomes and results achieved through student service-learning experiences.

Effective Date.   Makes the section effective for fiscal year 2016 and later.

Section 20 and 21. American Indian education aid. Amends the Indian education grants to be an aid program.  School districts, charter schools, or an American Indian-controlled tribal contract or grant school enrolling as least 20 American Indian students, receiving federal Title 7 funding and operating an American Indian education program is eligible to receive aid.  Provides a funding formula to determine an eligible school’s aid.

Section 22. Achievement and integration levy. Clarifies the subtraction of a district’s achievement and integration revenue to calculate the district’s levy.

Effective Date.  Makes the section effective immediately.

Section 23. Teacher development and evaluation revenue. Clarifies that educational cooperatives and education districts qualified for teacher development and evaluation revenue in fiscal year 2015.

Effective Date. Makes the section effective retroactively from July 1, 2014.

Section 24. Teacher development and evaluation. Provides an additional $20,000 in fiscal year 2015 for teacher development and evaluation revenue.

Section 25. Agricultural educator grants. Establishes a grant program to support school districts in paying agricultural education teachers for work over the summer with high school students in extension programs.  Requires grant funding to be matched by local funding for the educators’ summer employment. Requires grant recipients to annually report to the commissioner on the number of teachers funded by the grant program and the outcomes.

Section 26. Concurrent Enrollment Working Group.

Subdivision 1. Membership.  Directs the commissioner to convene a working group on concurrent enrollment and appoint members from the following:

  1. The commissioner of education;
  2. The commissioner of the Office of Higher Education;
  3. Representatives of postsecondary institutions with concurrent enrollment programs;
  4. Representatives from school districts with concurrent enrollment programs
  5. One representative of the National Alliance of Concurrent Enrollment Partnerships;
  6. One parents who has or had children participate in a concurrent enrollment course;
  7. At least one student enrolled in a concurrent enrollment course for the 2015-2016 school year; and
  8. Other stakeholders.

Subd. 2. Responsibilities. Directs the working group to review the following:

  1. Differences between concurrent enrollment courses and the sponsoring public postsecondary institution’s equivalent course;
  2. Each program’s student eligibility requirements;
  3. Course prerequisites;
  4. All postsecondary institutions that have accepted or denied transferring courses for college credit;
  5. The frequency with which courses are offered;
  6. The method of charging for delivery of concurrent enrollment instruction; and
  7. The compensation and workload of faculty supervisors of concurrent enrollment.

Subd. 3. Report.  Directs the working group to submit a report to the commissioner of education by January 15, 2016 with their findings and recommendations.  The commissioner must submit a report to the legislature by February 15, 2016 that includes the working group report and summary data on concurrent enrollment courses.

Section 27. Examining and Developing Statewide Swimming Resources. Directs the commissioner to report on the extent of existing resources and best practices available for swimming instruction in Minnesota public schools.  Directs the commissioner to establish a work group of interested stakeholders to report to the legislature by February 1, 2016, on the curriculum, resources, personnel, and other costs needed to make swimming instruction available in all Minnesota public schools for children beginning at an early age.

Effective Date.  Makes the section effective immediately.

Section 28. Appropriations.  See fiscal tracking sheets.

Article 3 - Standards and Assessments

Section 1. Required academic standards. Directs the department to adopt most recent National Association of Sport and Physical Education kindergarten through grade 12 standards and benchmarks for physical education as the required physical education academic standards.  Requires the department to make sample assessments based on the standards available to school districts by the 2018-2019 school year.

Section 2. Rulemaking. Directs the commissioner to adopt statewide rules to implement academic standards in physical education.

Section 3. Revisions and review required. Establishes a review cycle for the academic standards and related benchmarks in physical education beginning in 2024-2025 school year and every ten years thereafter.

Section 4. Physical education.

Subdivision 1. Exclusion from class; recess. Allows a student to be excused from a physical education class in the following circumstances: they have a physician’s note stating that physical activity will jeopardize their health; if being excused meets the child’s unique and individualized needs; or the student’s parents request an exemption on religious grounds.  Requires a district to provide a student with a disability with modifications or adaptations that allow a physical education class to meet their needs. Encourages districts not to exclude students from recess as a form of punishment.

Subd. 2. Teachers. Requires physical education classes to be taught by teachers who are licensed to teach physical education.

Section 5. ACT administration to nonpublic pupils. Requires the department to allow up to 100 nonpublic pupils in grades 11 and 12 to take the ACT exam on state testing dates.

Section 6. Commissioner-ordered suspension of assessments.  Requires the commissioner to notify the legislature if it becomes necessary to suspend statewide assessments due to service disruptions, technical interruptions or any other reason beyond the control of school districts.

Section 7.  School performance reports. Amends the school report cards to include the weekly amount of time students in kindergarten through grade 8 are scheduled to spend in physical education class, the percent of students receiving a passing grade in physical education, and the number of required physical education credits high school students must complete to graduate.

Effective Date. Makes the section effective immediately and applicable to reports for the 2017-2018 school year and later.

Section 8. Commissioner of Education; assessment recommendations. Directs the commissioner to research whether the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments can be replaced by the Measures of Academic Progress assessments.  Requires the commissioner to report to the recommendations to the legislature by January 15, 2016.

Section 9. Minnesota assessment system disruptions; assessment results. Allows for the assessment results for a student whose scheduled assessment was delayed or cancelled as a result of system interruptions during the 2014-2015 school year to be excluded, at the school district’s discretion, from the indicators of growth and achievement under Minnesota Statutes, section 120B.35 or school performance reports under Minnesota Statutes, section 120B.36.

Section 10. Reallocation of Minnesota assessment system payment reductions. Requires the commissioner to distribute the amount of the agreed-upon cumulative payment reduction for the prior year contract to school districts and charter school equally on a per pupil basis.

Section 11. Minnesota assessment system contractor performance report. Directs the commissioner to report to the legislature by February 15, 2016 describing the performance of the contractor for the Minnesota Assessment System, including agreed upon payment reductions, summary measure of stakeholder satisfaction with the system, and other information.

Section 12. Appropriations. See fiscal tracking sheets.

 Article 4 - Charter Schools

Section 1. Federal, state, and local requirements. Allows a charter school with at least 90 percent of enrolled students eligible for special education and have a primary disability of deafness or heard-of-hearing to enroll prekindergarten pupils with a disability.

Section 2. Pupils with a disability. Requires a charter school enrolling prekindergarten pupils with a disability to comply with sections 125A.259 to 125A.48 and rules relating to interagency early childhood interventions system as though it were a district.

Section 3. Appropriations. See fiscal tracking sheets.

Article 5 - Special Education

Section 1. General education revenue. Modifies the calculation of general education revenue for an eligible special education charter school to include the unreimbursed cost.

Section 2. Special education aid. Makes technical change.

Section 3. Definitions. Defines “unreimbursed costs” and “eligible special education charter school” for the purposes of calculating aid.

Section 4. Special education aid for eligible special education charter schools. Modifies the calculation of special education aid for an eligible charter school. Requires the commissioner to review budget data and notify the eligible school of the approved unreimbursed cost. Accelerates the special education aid payment for an eligible school.

Section 5. Special instruction for children with a disability. Provides that a school district that participates in a reciprocity agreement with an adjoining state may enroll and provide special education instruction and services to a pupil from an adjoining state who resides at a Minnesota address.

Section 6. Nonresident tuition rate; other costs. Conforming change to reduce special education aid paid to a resident district when a resident pupil generates special education aid at an eligible charter school.

Section 7. Definitions. Makes technical change to correct drafting error.

Section 8. Payment dates and percentages. Accelerates the final aid payments for an eligible charter school.

Section 9. Alternative attendance programs.  Conforming change to reduce special education aid paid to a resident district for special education students at an eligible charter school.

Section 10. Appropriations. See fiscal tracking sheets.

 Article 6 - Facilities and Technology

Section 1. Definitions. Amends the definition of eligible debt service revenue for a district to exclude long-term facilities maintenance levies.

Effective Date. Makes the section effective for revenue in fiscal year 2017 and later.

Section 2. Debt service equalization revenue. Strikes a reference to the alternative facilities levy.

Effective Date. Makes the section effective for revenue in fiscal year 2017 and late.

Section 3. Capital expenditure; health and safety. Repeals subdivisions related to a district’s health and safety revenue application and information required for audits, health and safety revenue/levy/aid, restrictions on allowed uses, appeals process, and aid proration.  Preserves the list of allowed expenditures for health and safety revenue under current law and the authority of the department to contract for optional project management assistance for districts.

Effective date. Makes this section effective for revenue in fiscal year 2017 and later.

Section 4. Long-term facilities maintenance revenue.

Subdivision 1. Long-term facilities maintenance revenue. Beginning in fiscal year 2017, establishes long-term facilities maintenance revenue.  In fiscal years 2017, 2018, and 2019, provides that the maximum revenue per pupil is the greater of $193, $292, and $380, respectively, or the amount the district would have received in that year under the old law.

Subd. 2. Long-term facilities maintenance revenue for a charter school. In fiscal years 2017, 2018, and 2019, provides that the revenue per pupil is $34, $85, and $132, respectively. 

Subd. 3. Intermediate districts and other cooperative units. Authorizes a district that is a member of an intermediate district or other cooperative unit to levy for its proportionate share of the costs of long-term facilities maintenance costs of the intermediate districts or cooperative unit.  Requires approval of each member board and the Commissioner of Education.

Subd. 4. Facilities plans. Requires that a district or intermediate district have a ten-year facilities maintenance plan adopted by its board and approved by the commissioner in order to generate revenue.  Requires certain elements in the plan and that the plan be updated annually.

Subd. 5. Bond authorization. Authorizes districts to issue bonds to finance facilities plans under this section.

Subd. 6. Levy authorization. Authorizes districts to make a levy to service outstanding bonds or to pay project costs on an annual basis.

Subd. 7. Long-term facilities maintenance equalization revenue. Specifies the portion of revenue eligible for equalization in fiscal years 2017, 2018, and 2019, and later.

Subd. 8. Long-term facilities maintenance equalized levy. Establishes the long-term facilities maintenance equalization levy.  Provides that the equalizing factor is 123 percent of the state average adjusted net tax capacity per adjusted pupil unit in the third prior year. Grandfathers the equalization aid for districts that received alternative facilities aid in fiscal year 2015.

Subd. 9. Long-term facilities maintenance equalized aid. Provides that a district's long-term facilities maintenance equalization aid equals the difference between its long-term facilities maintenance revenue and its long-term facilities maintenance equalization levy.

Subd. 10. Allowed uses for long-term facilities maintenance revenue. Specifies the allowed uses for long-term facilities maintenance revenue.

Subd. 11. Restrictions on long-term facilities maintenance revenue. Specifies the restrictions on uses of long-term facilities maintenance revenue.

Subd. 12. Reserve account. Requires that revenue used for projects on a pay-as-you-go basis be maintained in a reserve account in the general fund.

Effective date. Makes this section effective for revenue in fiscal year 2017 and later (taxes payable 2016).

Section 5. Adjusted net tax capacity. For the purposes of the long-term facilities maintenance equalized levy only, provides an alternative calculation for adjusted net tax capacity that is reduced by 50 percent of the class 2a agricultural land before the application of the ANTC growth limits.

Effective date. Makes this section effective for revenue in fiscal year 2016 and later.

Section 6. School endowment fund; apportionment. Requires school districts to reserve future increases in the school endowment fund apportionment for school technology.

Effective date. This section is effective July 1, 2015.

Section 7. Commissioner of Education; 1:1 device program guidelines. Directs the commissioner to research 1:1 device programs, determine best practices, and make a report to the legislature.

Section 8. FAIR School Crystal transition.

Subdivision 1. Student enrollment. Provides that a student enrolled in the FAIR School Crystal during the 2014-2015 school year and a student accepted for enrollment during the 2015-2016 school year may continue to enroll in the FAIR School Crystal in any year through the 2019-2020 school year.  For the 2015-2016 school year and later, provides that other students may enroll through the standard open enrollment process.

Subd. 2. Compensatory revenue; literacy aid; alternative compensation revenue. Provides that, for the 2015-2016 school year only, compensatory revenue, literacy aid, and alternative compensation revenue for the FAIR School Crystal is based on the October 1, 2014, enrollment counts.

Subd. 3. Pupil transportation. Provides that the district may transport a pupil enrolled in the 2014-2015 school year and a pupil accepted for enrollment during the 2015-2016 school year to and from the FAIR School downtown in succeeding school years regardless of the pupil's district of residence.  Makes transportation expenses under this section reimbursable with interdistrict integration transportation aid.

Effective date. This section is effective the day following the date on which the real and personal property of the FAIR School Crystal in Crystal is conveyed to Independent School District No. 281, Robbinsdale.

Section 9. FAIR School Downtown transition.

Subdivision 1. Student enrollment. Provides that a student enrolled in the FAIR School downtown during the 2014-2015 school year and a student accepted for enrollment during the 2015-2016 school year may continue to enroll in the FAIR School downtown in any year through the 2018-2019 school year.  For the 2015-2016 school year and later, provides that other students may enroll through the standard open enrollment process.

Subd. 2. Compensatory revenue; literacy aid; alternative compensation revenue. Provides that, for the 2015-2016 school year only, compensatory revenue, literacy aid, and alternative compensation revenue for the FAIR School downtown is based on the October 1, 2014, enrollment counts.

Subd. 3. Pupil transportation. Provides that the district may transport a pupil enrolled in the 2014-2015 school year and a pupil accepted for enrollment during the 2015-2016 school year to and from the FAIR School downtown in succeeding school years regardless of the pupil's district of residence.  Makes transportation expenses under this section reimbursable with interdistrict integration transportation aid.

Effective date. Makes this section effective the day following the date on which the real and personal property of the FAIR School downtown in Minneapolis is conveyed to Special School District No. 1, Minneapolis.

Section 10. Information technology certification partnership.

Subdivision 1. Request for proposals. Directs the commissioner to issue a request for proposals and award a contract.

Subd. 2. Eligible schools. Makes school districts, intermediate districts, and charter schools eligible to participate in the program.

Subd. 3. Program description; provider duties. Outlines the duties of the provider, including contact with eligible schools, recruitment of up to 200 participating sites for the 2016-2017 school year, program provision, and project management.

Subd. 4. Department support. Requires the department of education to support the program provider.

Subd. 5. Report required. Requires the provider and commissioner to jointly develop and deliver to the legislature a summary report on the program activities.

Section 11. Cancellation of previous biennium appropriation. Cancels the $300,000 appropriated in Laws 2014 for fiscal year 2015 for the IT certifications partnership.

Section 12. Appropriations. See fiscal tracking sheets.

Section 13. Repealer. Repeals sections 123B.59 (Alternative Facilities Program) and 123B.591 (Deferred Maintenance Revenue Program).

Effective date. Makes section effective for revenue in fiscal year 2017 and later (taxes payable 2016). 

Article 7 - Nutrition and Accounting

Section 1. Program reimbursement. Increases the reimbursement for each fully paid breakfast served to students in first grade.

Effective date. Makes this section effective for revenue in fiscal year 2017.

Section 2. No fees. Requires schools to make breakfast available without charge to all students in first grade.

Effective date. Makes this section effective for revenue in fiscal year 2017.

Section 3. Community Service Fund Account Transfers. Provides Independent School District No. 91, Barnum, with authority until 2018 to transfer any positive account balances between the reserve accounts for school readiness and early childhood family education. This may only occur after the school board has taken public testimony and the school board has passed a resolution.

Effective date. Makes this section effective July 1, 2015.

Section 4. Fund Transfer. The commissioner must approve fund transfer requests if the transfer does not increase state aid or property tax authority. The school board may approve the fund transfer only after adopting a resolution stating that the fund transfer will not diminish educational opportunities.

Effective date. Makes this section effective July 1, 2015.

Section 5. Appropriations. See fiscal tracking sheets. 

Article 8 - Libraries

Section 1. Base aid distribution. Increases the proportion of total basic system support aid distributed as base aid.

Effective date. Makes this section effective July 1, 2015.

Section 2. Adjusted net tax capacity per capita distribution. Decreases the proportion of total basic system support aid distributed on the basis of adjusted net tax capacity per capita.

Effective date. Makes this section effective July 1, 2015.

Section 3. Eligibility. Modifies the application procedure and allowed uses of regional library telecommunications aid.

Section 4. Telecommunications aid. Conforming change related to application for regional library telecommunications aid.

Section 5. Award of funds. Clarifies that aid is based on actual costs, including those documented in e-rate materials.

Section 6. Appropriations. See fiscal tracking sheets. 

Article 9 - Early Childhood Education

Section 1.  Program requirements. Requires school readiness program providers to offer at least 500 hours per year of program content and instruction to each eligible child. The program provider may establish a waiting list if funds are not sufficient to serve every eligible child. Requires that all classroom teachers have a license issued by the Board of Teaching or special permission by the 2019-2020 school year and later in order to receive aid.

Effective date. Makes this section effective for fiscal year 2017 and later.

Section 2. Services with new or existing providers. Eliminates the requirement that school readiness program providers must submit to the commissioner contracts for delivering services to eligible children.

Effective date. Makes this section effective for fiscal year 2017 and later.

Section 3. Program fees. Prohibits school readiness program providers from charging a fee for a four-year-old child who is enrolled fewer than 500 hours per year.

Effective date. Makes this section effective for fiscal year 2017 and later.

Section 4. Eligibility. Expands eligibility of school readiness program to include all four-year-old children.

Effective date. Makes this section effective for fiscal year 2017 and later.

Section 5. Waiting list. Specifies that a school readiness program with a waiting list must give enrollment priority to children with one or more risk factors.

Effective date. Makes this section effective for fiscal year 2017 and later.

Section 6. Amount of aid. Sets the aid the aid entitlement for the school readiness program.  Reduces and reallocates aid for school districts that choose not to offer at least 500 hours of program content and instruction without fees being charged.

Effective date. Makes this section effective for fiscal year 2016 and later.

Section 7. This section allows a child from an adjoining state whose family resides at a Minnesota address to qualify for an early learning scholarship as long.

Effective date. Makes this section effective July 1, 2015.

Section 8. Study of Early Childhood Effectiveness on Third Grade Literacy. Requires the Department of Education to study and report on the efficacy of several early childhood programs at improving third grade literacy.  An initial report is required by February 1, 2017, and annually thereafter.

Section 9. Appropriations. See fiscal tracking sheets.

Article 10 - Prevention

Section 1. Screening program. Requires an early childhood developmental screening program to record the date of the child’s most recent comprehensive vision exam, if any. Defines “comprehensive vision examination” as an examination performed by an optometrist or ophthalmologist.

Section 2. Developmental screening program information. Provides that a school district that enrolls students from an adjoining state may inform nonresident children who reside at a Minnesota address about the availability of the early childhood developmental screening program and may provide screening to that child.

Effective date. Makes this section effective for revenue in fiscal year 2016 and later.

Section 3. Youth after-school enrichment revenue. Modifies the calculation of youth after-school enrichment revenue.

Effective date. Makes this section effective for revenue in fiscal year 2017 and later.

Section 4. After-school community learning grants.

Subdivision 1. Grant program established. Establishes a competitive grant program to support entities that provide out-of-school time programs. Directs that the grants be used to offer a broad array of enrichment activities.

Subd. 2. Application. Directs the commissioner to develop the form and manner of grant application. Specifies criteria for allocating the grants.

Subd. 3. Grant awards. Directs the commissioner to award grants on an equitable geographic basis and give priority to applicants that can effectively leverage other community resources. Provides that a grantee is eligible for a two-year grant, contingent upon progress and the availability of funds.

Section 5. Comprehensive vision examination report. Directs the commissioner to make a report to the legislature describing the number and proportion of children who, at the time of early childhood developmental screening, indicate that they have received a comprehensive vision examination. 

Section 6. Appropriations. See fiscal tracking sheets. 

Article 11 - Lifelong learning

Section 1. Appropriations. See fiscal tracking sheets. 

Article 12 - State Agencies

Section 1. Placing high school students in Minnesota. Requires annual reporting by school districts and charter schools with enrolled students who participate in a foreign exchange or study or other travel abroad program. Districts and charter schools are also encouraged to adopt policies to help ensure students’ health and safety. Requires program providers to register with the secretary of state to be eligible to offer a program under this statute.

Effective date. Makes this section effective for the 2015-2016 school year.

Section 2. Background checks. Allows the Department of Education to receive fees from the processing of teacher background checks.

Section 3. Appropriations. See fiscal tracking sheets.

Section 4. Appropriations. See fiscal tracking sheets.

Section 5. Appropriations. See fiscal tracking sheets. 

Article 13 - Forecast Article

This is a technical article that makes conforming changes to appropriations consistent with the February 2015 economic forecast.

 
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