1.1                          A bill for an act
  1.2             relating to education; authorizing a grant for 
  1.3             districts participating in the enhanced pairing 
  1.4             program; appropriating money. 
  1.5   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.6      Section 1.  [ENHANCED PAIRING COOPERATION AND COMBINATION 
  1.7   AID.] 
  1.8      Subdivision 1.  [DISTRICT ELIGIBILITY.] A group of 
  1.9   districts participating in an enhanced pairing agreement under 
  1.10  Laws 1995, First Special Session chapter 3, article 6, section 
  1.11  17, is eligible for a grant for cooperation and combination. 
  1.12     Subd. 2.  [AID AMOUNT.] A district that is participating in 
  1.13  an enhanced pairing agreement is eligible for consolidation 
  1.14  transition revenue under Minnesota Statutes, section 124.2726 
  1.15  and is also eligible for additional state aid equal to $100 
  1.16  times the number of pupil units enrolled in the enhanced paired 
  1.17  district in the year prior to consolidation. 
  1.18     Subd. 3.  [AID USES.] A district receiving aid under this 
  1.19  section must use the aid consistent with purposes listed under 
  1.20  Minnesota Statutes, section 124.2725, subdivision 11, or other 
  1.21  purposes related to combination of the individual districts as 
  1.22  determined by the school board.  If, after receipt of state aid 
  1.23  under this section, the districts choose not to combine and 
  1.24  receive aid under Minnesota Statutes, section 124.2726, the 
  1.25  commissioner of children, families, and learning must recover 
  2.1   aid equal to $25 times the number of pupil units in the enhanced 
  2.2   paired district. 
  2.3      Sec. 2.  [APPROPRIATION.] 
  2.4      $135,000 is appropriated in fiscal year 1999 from the 
  2.5   general fund to the department of children, families, and 
  2.6   learning for a grant to a group of school districts 
  2.7   participating in the enhanced pairing program that intend to 
  2.8   combine into a single school district.