1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to education finance; reducing the required 
  1.3             revenue reserved for staff development activities from 
  1.4             two percent to one percent of a district's basic 
  1.5             general education revenue; amending Minnesota Statutes 
  1.6             2002, section 122A.61, subdivision 1.  
  1.7   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.8      Section 1.  Minnesota Statutes 2002, section 122A.61, 
  1.9   subdivision 1, is amended to read: 
  1.10     Subdivision 1.  [STAFF DEVELOPMENT REVENUE.] A district is 
  1.11  required to reserve an amount equal to at least two one percent 
  1.12  of the basic revenue under section 126C.10, subdivision 2, for 
  1.13  in-service education for programs under section 120B.22, 
  1.14  subdivision 2, for staff development plans, including plans for 
  1.15  challenging instructional activities and experiences under 
  1.16  section 122A.60, and for curriculum development and programs, 
  1.17  other in-service education, teachers' workshops, teacher 
  1.18  conferences, the cost of substitute teachers staff development 
  1.19  purposes, preservice and in-service education for special 
  1.20  education professionals and paraprofessionals, and other related 
  1.21  costs for staff development efforts.  A district also may 
  1.22  reserve an additional one percent of the basic revenue under 
  1.23  section 126C.10, subdivision 2, for staff development efforts if 
  1.24  a majority vote of the school board agrees to the additional 
  1.25  amount.  A district may annually waive the requirement to 
  1.26  reserve their basic revenue under this section if a majority 
  2.1   vote of the licensed teachers in the district and a majority 
  2.2   vote of the school board agree to a resolution to waive the 
  2.3   requirement.  A district in statutory operating debt is exempt 
  2.4   from reserving basic revenue according to this section.  
  2.5   Districts may expend an additional amount of unreserved revenue 
  2.6   for staff development based on their needs.  With the exception 
  2.7   of amounts reserved for staff development from revenues 
  2.8   allocated directly to school sites, the board must initially 
  2.9   allocate 50 percent of the reserved revenue to each school site 
  2.10  in the district on a per teacher basis, which must be retained 
  2.11  by the school site until used.  The board may retain 25 percent 
  2.12  to be used for district wide staff development efforts.  The 
  2.13  remaining 25 percent of the revenue must be used to make grants 
  2.14  to school sites for best practices methods.  A grant may be used 
  2.15  for any purpose authorized under section 120B.22, subdivision 2, 
  2.16  122A.60, or for the costs of curriculum development and 
  2.17  programs, other in-service education, teachers' workshops, 
  2.18  teacher conferences, substitute teachers for staff development 
  2.19  purposes, and other staff development efforts, and determined by 
  2.20  the site professional development team.  The site professional 
  2.21  development team must demonstrate to the school board the extent 
  2.22  to which staff at the site have met the outcomes of the 
  2.23  program.  The board may withhold a portion of initial allocation 
  2.24  of revenue if the staff development outcomes are not being met. 
  2.25     <b>[EFFECTIVE DATE.]</b> This section is effective the day 
  2.26  following final enactment for revenue for fiscal year 2003 and 
  2.27  later.