HF 4817

as introduced - 93rd Legislature (2023 - 2024) Posted on 03/11/2024 02:16pm

A bill for an act
relating to education finance; reserving student support personnel aid; transferring
the student support personnel; amending Minnesota Statutes 2023 Supplement,
section 124D.901, subdivisions 3, 5, by adding a subdivision; Laws 2023, chapter
55, article 5, section 64, subdivision 15.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

Section 1.

Minnesota Statutes 2023 Supplement, section 124D.901, subdivision 3, is
amended to read:

Subd. 3.

Student support personnel aid.

(a) The initial student support personnel aid
for a school district equals the greater of the student support personnel allowance times the
adjusted pupil units at the district for the current fiscal year or $40,000. The initial student
support personnel aid for a charter school equals the greater of the student support personnel
allowance times the adjusted pupil units at the charter school for the current fiscal year or
$20,000.

(b) The cooperative student support personnel aid for a school district that is a member
of an intermediate school district or other cooperative unit that serves students equals the
greater of the cooperative student support allowance times the adjusted pupil units at the
district for the current fiscal year or $40,000. If a district is a member of more than one
cooperative unit that serves students, the revenue must be allocated among the cooperative
units.

(c) The student support personnel allowance equals $11.94 for fiscal year 2024, $17.08
for fiscal year 2025, and $48.73 for fiscal year 2026 and later.

(d) The cooperative student support allowance equals $0.60 for fiscal year 2024, $0.85
for fiscal year 2025, and $2.44 for fiscal year 2026 and later.

deleted text begin (e) Notwithstanding paragraphs (a) and (b), the student support personnel aid must not
exceed the district's, charter school's, or cooperative unit's actual expenditures.
deleted text end

Sec. 2.

Minnesota Statutes 2023 Supplement, section 124D.901, is amended by adding a
subdivision to read:

new text begin Subd. 3a. new text end

new text begin Reserve account. new text end

new text begin (a) Student support personnel aid must be placed in a reserve
account and may only be used for the purposes and uses specified in this section.
new text end

new text begin (b) For fiscal year 2026 and later, the June 30 balance in the student support personnel
reserve account must not exceed $10 per pupil unit.
new text end

new text begin (c) For fiscal year 2027 and later, a district or charter school's student support personnel
aid for the current year is reduced by the amount that the fund balance for June 30 of the
previous year exceeds $10 times the adjusted pupil units for that year.
new text end

Sec. 3.

Minnesota Statutes 2023 Supplement, section 124D.901, subdivision 5, is amended
to read:

Subd. 5.

Report required.

new text begin (a) new text end By February 1 following any fiscal year in which student
support personnel aid was received, a school district, charter school, or cooperative unit
must submit a written report to the commissioner new text begin describing the school's student support
personnel revenue and expenditures and new text end indicating how the new position affected two or
more of the following measures:

(1) school climate;

(2) student health;

(3) attendance rates;

(4) academic achievement;

(5) career and college readiness; and

(6) postsecondary completion rates.

new text begin (b) By March 30 of each year, the Department of Education must submit a report to the
chairs and ranking minority members of the legislative committees with jurisdiction over
kindergarten through grade 12 education summarizing the information reported by schools
under paragraph (a). The report must also identify any barriers limiting expansion of student
support personnel services. The report must be prepared according to section 3.195.
new text end

Sec. 4.

Laws 2023, chapter 55, article 5, section 64, subdivision 15, is amended to read:

Subd. 15.

Student support personnel workforce pipeline.

(a) For a grant program to
develop a student support personnel workforce pipeline focused on increasing school
psychologists, school nurses, school counselors, and school social workers of color and
Indigenous providers, professional respecialization, recruitment, and retention:

	$	5,000,000	.....	2024
	$	5,000,000	.....	2025

(b) Of the amount in paragraph (a), $150,000 deleted text begin is deleted text end new text begin each year must be retained by the
Department of Education new text end for providing support to school nurses across the state. new text begin As of July
1, 2024, any remaining balance in fiscal year 2024 and $4,850,000 in fiscal year 2025 must
be transferred to the Office of Higher Education to administer the student support personnel
workforce grant. The Office of Higher Education and the Department of Education must
coordinate the transfer of the administration of any existing grants made during fiscal year
2024.
new text end

(c) To the extent practicable, the pipeline grants must be used to support equal numbers
of students pursuing careers as school psychologists, school nurses, school counselors, and
school social workers.

(d) For grants awarded under this subdivision to school psychologists, the following
terms have the meanings given:

(1) "eligible designated trainee" means an individual enrolled in a NASP-approved or
APA-accredited school psychology program granting educational specialist certificates or
doctoral degrees in school psychology;

(2) "practica" means an educational experience administered and evaluated by the
graduate training program, with university and site supervision by appropriately credentialed
school psychologists, to develop trainees' competencies to provide school psychological
services based on the graduate program's goals and competencies relative to accreditation
and licensure requirements; and

(3) "eligible employment" means a paid position within a school or local education
agency directly related to the training program providing direct or indirect school psychology
services. Direct services include assessment, intervention, prevention, or consultation services
to students or their family members and educational staff. Indirect services include
supervision, research and evaluation, administration, program development, technical
assistance, or professional learning to support direct services.

(e) Grants awarded to school psychologists must be used for:

(1) the provision of paid, supervised, and educationally meaningful practica in a public
school setting for an eligible designated trainee enrolled in a qualifying program within the
grantee's institution;

(2) to support student recruitment and retention to enroll and hire an eligible designated
trainee for paid practica in public school settings; and

(3) oversight of trainee practica and professional development by the qualifying institution
to ensure the qualifications and conduct by an eligible designated trainee meet requirements
set forth by the state and accrediting agencies.

(f) Upon successful completion of the graduate training program, grants awarded to
school psychologists must maintain eligible employment within Minnesota for a minimum
period of one-year full-time equivalent for each academic year of paid traineeship under
the grant program.

(g) Up to $150,000 of the appropriation is available for grant administration.

new text begin EFFECTIVE DATE. new text end

new text begin This section is effective the day following final enactment.
new text end