Providing for the funding of early childhood and family and +prekindergarten through grade 12 education programs and services ARTICLE 1 � GENERAL EDUCATIONEliminating certain instructional hours requirements of area learning+ centers and education districts; modifying the calculation of referendum +revenue for certain reorganized school districts; modifying certain school bus +safety training and policy requirements; expanding the definitions of +regular and excess transportation relating to nonresident pupils for +transportation aid entitlement purposes; clarifying the responsibility of school +districts enrolling nonresident pupils in alternative attendance programs to +provide transportation to the pupils; modifying the nonpublic pupil +transportation aid formula and the formula for payments to post-secondary institutions +under the enrollment options (PSEO) program, requiring a certain formula +allowance reduction; modifying the definition of pupil of limited English +proficiency and the revenue formula for LEP programs aid; modifying the determination+ of average daily membership and the formula for computing pupil units +for prior years; accelerating the date for school districts to count children +eligible for free or reduced price lunches; modifying the general education +revenue formula, providing for extended time revenue; reducing the +compensatory education revenue formula; increasing the LEP concentration aid +formula for basic skills revenue determination purposes; establishing operating +capital levy and aid formulas; increasing the equity revenue formula and +providing equity levy and aid formulas; establishing transition revenue, levy +and aid formulas; expanding the general education aid formula; modifying the +operating referendum allowance formula, increasing the referendum allowance +limit and referendum equalization revenue and aid formulas and clarifying the +referendum revenue formula; authorizing school districts to convert transition +revenue to referendum revenue with voter approval; making permanent referendum +tax base replacement aid and the career and technical levy; exempting type III+ school buses from the requirement to stop at railroad grade crossings; +expanding certain school bus standards certification requirements and the +vehicles authorized to be used as type III buses; eliminating certain school +bus driver evaluation requirements; requiring school district clerks to notify +the commissioner of education of referenda and ballot question certified+ vote totals; requiring a certain reduction in the inflation adjustments +for nonpublic pupil textbooks, instructional materials and standardized +tests; reducing the percentage of general education basic revenue required +to be reserved by school districts for staff development programs for +fiscal years and 2005; establishing the lease rate for certain state land + used as public campgrounds in Cook county, requiring and providing for annual+ inflation adjustments; appropriating money to the department of education for +general education and referendum tax base replacement aids, for enrollment +options transportation, for abatement revenue, for consolidation transition +aid, for a grant to independent school district #2190, Yellow Medicine East for +tornado impact declining enrollment aid and for declining pupil aid to +independent school districts #241, Albert Lea, #2711, Mesabi East and #682, +Roseau, for nonpublic pupil education and transportation aids and for a grant to independent school district #690, Warroad to operate the Angle Inlet +school; repealing certain adjustments to consolidation referendum levy +computation, supplemental revenue and reorganized districts aid deductions, +certain obsolete provisions, the additional class size, all day kindergarten and +special education reserve, the staff development incentive levy, the +requirement for the department to recalculate certain tax rates and airport runway +impact zone aid program for independent school district #280, Richfield ARTICLE 2 � EDUCATION EXCELLENCE Modifying the definition of middle school relating to the minimum +number of consecutive grades; modifying a certain reporting requirement of +school district superintendents relating to compliance with compulsory +instruction requirements; eliminating the annual school board calendar additional+ student instruction or staff development days requirement; eliminating the +requirement for the commissioner of education to encourage and assist school +districts to cooperatively establish alternative educational services for pupils +dismissed for engaging in dangerous, disruptive or violent behavior and +requiring school districts to develop policies and report to the commissioner on the +appropriate use of peace officers and crisis teams to remove students with +individualized education plans (IEP) from school grounds and school district +discipline policies to include procedures to coordinate crisis services with the+ county board providing mental health services to children; establishing a +teacher legitimate educational interest relating to students placed in the +classroom with a history of violent behavior, requiring advance notice and +certain discussions between school board members and exclusive +representatives of teachers; requiring the board of teaching to adopt rules requiring +licensed teachers renewing continuing licenses to include in renewal +requirements further preparation in understanding and identifying key warning +signs of early onset mental illness in children and adolescents; specifying certain +reporting requirements of school districts and sites participating in the +alternative teacher compensation program and modifying the payment of alternative compensation aid; changing the name of the Minnesota Indian +scholarship committee to the American Indian education committee; providing for +school sponsorship and advertising revenue, authorizing certain contracts; +clarifying the date for school board organizational meetings; expanding the +provision authorizing parents or guardians of students to voluntarily surrender+ to and from school transportation privileges; requiring the placement of +first grade preparedness revenue in a reserve account and restricting use of the +revenue to the programs at qualifying school sites; clarifying certain +provisions under the post-secondary enrollment options (PSEO) program and enacting the+ "On-line Learning Option Act"; modifying certain charter school provisions +relating to the advisory council, nonprofit corporation sponsorship, student transportation, teacher leaves of absence and the payment of revenue +and aid; authorizing youth works program training in evaluating early literacy+ skills for head start programs establishment and evaluation assistance +purposes; modifying the integration revenue, levy and aid formulas; +establishing the average daily membership for students participating in the on-line +learning program and the formula for distance education aid; modifying the +safe schools levy formula; requiring the state high school league governing board +to adopt a policy on corporate sponsorships and similar agreements; authorizing +the use of certain older pools for supervised competitive high school diving; +modifying the definitions of major and minor political party; requiring +primaries in school district elections under certain conditions; removing the +commissioner from crime victim services roundtable membership; waiving the teacher+ contract deadline requirement and aid penalty for the 2004-2005 biennium; +providing for staggered terms for members of the charter school advisory board; +authorizing and providing for school boards to develop and implement pilot +projects to evaluate parental involvement policies and strategies; eliminating +charter school start up aid for fiscal years 2004 and 2005 for certain +charter schools; requiring certain alternative attendance adjustments for certain +integration aid paid to special school district #1, Minneapolis and independent +school districts # 625, St. Paul and #709, Duluth; requiring and providing +for the development of a policy on students with a history of violent +behavior; authorizing the school board of independent school district #709, +Duluth to by resolution reduce the number of at large members; appropriating money+ to the department of education for charter school building lease and startup+ aids and integration grants, for integration aid, for magnet school grants and+ startup aid, for interdistrict desegregation or integration transportation +grants, for American Indian success for the future and teacher preparation grants+ and scholarships, for tribal contract schools and early childhood +programs, for statewide testing support, for best practices seminars, for +alternative teacher compensation, for advanced placement (AP) and international +baccalaureate (IB) examination fees and teacher training and support programs, for first+ grade preparedness grants, for youth works programs, for student +organizations and for distance education and collaborative urban educator recruitment +and training programs; repealing the teachers of color, minority teacher incentives, summer cultural exchange grant and Minnesota local +partnership programs, the American Indian scholarship committee, certain state +high school league provisions and a certain prior appropriation to the board of +teaching for minority fellowship grants ARTICLE 3 � SPECIAL PROGRAMSExpanding the personnel required to attend meetings with individual +education plan (IEP) teams relating to the suspension of students with +disabilities from school; requiring school districts and cooperative centers to report +career and technical education programs data to the department of education; +modifying the purposes and defining essential personnel under the transition system+ for children with disabilities; expanding the calculation of transition +disabled program base revenue to include the salaries of approved +paraprofessionals; restricting the payment of career and technical education aid by the commissioner of education to services provided and costs incurred by +essential licensed personnel; requiring and providing for alternative dispute +resolution and due process hearings with parent involvement relating to the +requirement for school districts to provide special instruction and services for +children with disabilities, requiring certain rules; extending the expiration +date of the state interagency coordinating council; expanding membership +representation requirements and duties of interagency early intervention committees;+ reducing the program growth factors for special education and special +education excess cost aids determination purposes, increasing the state total special +education aid and setting the state total special education excess cost aid +amounts; providing for special education cross subsidy reduction aid to school districts; establishing a special education pilot project to +determine the impact of exempting school districts from certain state special +education requirements, providing program availability to independent school +district #535, Rochester and a certain number of geographically distributed +school districts or cooperative units to be selected by the commissioner; appropriating money to the department for special education, cross +subsidy reduction and excess cost aids, for aids for children with +disabilities, travel for home based services and transition programs, for litigation +costs, for court placed special education revenue and for unreimbursed out of +state tuition costs; repealing certain intervention demonstration projects,+ certain procedures for identification, assessment and placement of children +with disabilities, a certain obsolete data collection plan development +requirement and the special education excess cost aid calculation formula for +fiscal years and 2001 ARTICLE 4 � FACILITIES AND TECHNOLOGYExpanding the authority of school boards to lease property;regulating the use of project labor agreements by school districts to+ manage construction projects; excluding alternative facilities levies from +the second tier debt service equalization revenue formula and certain large +projects from health and safety revenue eligibility, placing the projects under the alternative facilities bonding and levy program; reducing the health +and safety levy limit; expanding the authorized uses of health and safety +revenue and prohibiting use for replacement of building materials or facilities; +providing for limited participation in the alternative facilities bonding and +levy program for certain school districts, specifying certain long term +plan requirements; specifying certain published notice requirements for +bond issuance purposes, granting school districts not issuing bonds +certain levy authority and eliminating the requirement to reduce levies by the +amount of alternative facilities aid received; modifying the building +construction down payment program, providing for capital project referendum accounts +and levies; reducing certain limits on building or land lease levies; modifying +certain provisions under the maximum effort school aid law relating to levies+ and expanding eligibility for capital loans; setting the excess revenue +target for school district debt service levies and eliminating the requirement +for the commissioner of education to report excess debt redemption fund +balances to county auditors; granting independent school district #621, Mounds +View certain bond issuance authority; authorizing the Anoka-Hennepin school +district to continue to levy to repay the bonds issued by the county for the +secondary technical education program (STEP); authorizing independent school +district #15, St. Francis to redirect the proceeds from the sale of certain +school property for creation or improvement of safe walking routes for +students; extending the disabled access levy authority of independent school +district #500, Southland; authorizing independent school district #806, +Elgin-Millville to levy for handicapped access and fire safety improvements to school buildings, limit; authorizing independent school district #740, +Sartell to levy to lease a school bus storage facility, restrictions; authorizing +independent school district #914, Ulen-Hitterdal to submit to the commissioner an application for the demolition of a portion of the Ulen high school +to be included in health and safety revenue for fiscal year 2005; +appropriating money to the department of education for health and safety revenue and for +debt service equalization and alternative facilities bonding aids; +repealing the school district grant program for regional clearinghouses for +improving education technology ARTICLE 5 � NUTRITION, SCHOOL ACCOUNTING, OTHER PROGRAMSEliminating the state aid penalty from a certain provision +authorizing the commissioner of education to close schools; modifying the +apportionment of consolidated conservation area funds received by counties, requiring +allocation of a certain percentage to the general fund of the school district in+ lieu of the capital outlay fund; modifying certain levy recognition and aid +reduction or adjustment requirements; reducing the payment of aids to school +districts and charter schools, providing additional payments to school +districts for certain later fiscal years; establishing a new school breakfast +program; modifying the reimbursement to schools for milk served to +kindergarten students; increasing the statutory operating debt levy formula; +reducing the unemployment insurance, judgment payment and ice arena levies; +clarifying the responsibility of school districts enrolling nonresident pupils in +alternative attendance programs to provide transportation to the pupils; +modifying the computation of abatement aid and excess tax increment for adjustment +purposes; increasing the net debt limit for special school district #1, +Minneapolis; modifying the authority of school districts to levy for unemployment+ insurance costs, the reservation requirement relating to the receipt of +taconite tax proceeds and the treatment of certain surplus funds used to reduce +certain levies and state aids; increasing the net tax capacity rate for the +severance levy by independent school district #625, St. Paul; authorizing +certain permanent fund transfers in independent school districts #695, +Chisholm, #486, Swanville and #277, Westonka; requiring the commissioner of education+ to calculate the property tax recognition shift percentage raising a +certain amount in fiscal year 2004 and to apply the percentage to the +property tax recognition shift in fiscal year 2004 and later; appropriating money +to the department of education for school lunch, traditional school +breakfast and kindergarten milk, fast break to learning breakfast and summer school+ service replacement aids; specifying a certain codification instruction to +the revisor of statutes; repealing taconite lease revenue and the school fund +mineral lease suspense account and the current school breakfast and fast +break to learning programs ARTICLE 6 � LIBRARIESTemporarily reducing the support percentage requirement for cities +and counties to qualify for regional library basic system support grants; +designating basic system support grants and regional library telecommunications aid as +sources for regional library basic system appropriations; modifying the +authorized uses of regional library telecommunications aid, authorizing use for +maintenance, equipment or installation of telecommunication lines; appropriating +money to the department of education for basic system support and multicounty +multitype library systems grants, for regional library telecommunications aid +and for the electronic library for Minnesota (statewide licenses to certain +online databases); specifying certain renumbering and cross reference change instructions to the revisor of statutes ARTICLE 7 � EARLY CHILDHOOD FAMILY SUPPORTSpecifying certain work plan preparation and submittal requirements of head start grantees, eliminating the authority of +grantees to use a certain percentage of grant funds for innovative programs and +clarifying certain federal requirements governing head start programs; +specifying an early childhood family education programming emphasis priority for +younger children in insufficient funding cases, encouraging the referral of +parents to certain other programs for older preschoolers; eliminating certain +requirements under the home visiting program; expanding certain ECFE programs +coordination requirements; reducing ECFE revenue and modifying the reserve +account limit; expanding membership representation requirements on school readiness +program advisory councils to local early intervention committees and +modifying certain program plan content and review requirements and the reserve account +limit; appropriating money to the department of education for school +readiness and head start programs and for ECFE and health and developmental +screening aid; repealing the way to grow/school readiness program ARTICLE 8 � PREVENTIONTransferring the authority for approval of school board use of nonlicensed community education directors from the commissioner of +education to the Minnesota board of school administrators; reducing the general +community education revenue allowance; modifying the total community education +levy; establishing a reserve account limit for school districts, providing +for waiver of the limit by the commissioner under certain conditions; reducing +the school age care levy; appropriating money to the department of education for+ community education and adults with disabilities program aids, for hearing +impaired adults programs and for school age care revenue; repealing the +community education grandfather levy, after school enrichment grants, the +Minnesota local partnership program and the transfer of community prevention grants +for federal drug free schools from the department of children, families and +learning to the department of health ARTICLE 9 � SELF SUFFICIENCY AND LIFE LONG LEARNINGAuthorizing school boards or consortia governing bodies offering +adult basic education programs to adopt a sliding fee schedule for program costs +payment purposes, requiring waiver under certain conditions; specifying +certain reserve account requirements; authorizing ABE consortia providing approved +adult basic education programs to serve as fiscal agent for the consortia and +entitling the consortia to state aid payments directly from the commissioner of +education; increasing the state total adult basic education aid amount and +eliminating the formula; reducing the basic population aid formula and modifying +adult basic education program aid limits; eliminating certain program audit +requirements; authorizing requests for extension of the deadline for application +for approval of adult basic education programs for fiscal year 2004 by certain +school districts or consortia and adjusting the attendance hours for +students participating in programs funded with adult graduation aid; +establishing ABE transition aid for fiscal year 2004; appropriating money to the +department of education for adult basic education and adult graduation aids, for +GED tests and for lead abatement; repealing the financial arrangements for +adults under the post-secondary enrollment options (PSEO) act, adult high school +graduation aid and the adult pupils average daily membership computation formula ARTICLE 10 � STATE AGENCIESAuthorizing the board of teaching to grant annual waivers to licensed+ teachers teaching in alternative school programs to allow the teachers to +instruct students in nonlicensed content areas to enable school districts to +meet the needs of students enrolled in the programs; increasing the membership+ of the board of school administrators; authorizing the board of teaching to +issue lifetime qualified short call substitute teaching licenses to certain+ retired teachers, specifying certain conditions for eligibility, authorizing +teachers holding the licenses to reapply to the board for a continuing +teaching license, allowing a certain period of time before completion of the required +continuing education hours; setting the fee for issuance, renewal or extension +of teacher licenses; eliminating the duplicative teacher license filing +requirement with the employing school district superintendent, authorizing school +districts or charter schools contracting with teachers to verify the +qualifications of the teacher through the Minnesota education licensing system available on+ the web site of the department of education; eliminating the commissioner of +education from consultation requirements with the commissioner of public safety+ in the preparation of youth oriented driver improvement clinic standards; +making a technical correction in the membership of the apprenticeship advisory+ council; appropriating money to the department for fiscal years 2004-2005, for+ federal grants and aids, for the state academies and for the Perpich center +for arts education; specifying certain reference change instructions to the +revisor of statutes; repealing the curriculum development task force, school bus+ safety week, the MN designation in school bus body serial numbers, the +requirement for the commissioner to develop and implement a plan of public education +about the metric system and certain rules relating to teacher duty free +lunches, student transportation, services for the blind and physically disabled, the +school lunch program, civil defense and the training and experience index ARTICLE 11 � DEFICIENCIES Appropriating money to the department of education for deficiencies +in community and general and supplemental education, nonpublic pupil, consolidation transition and debt service aids, interdistrict +desegregation or integration transportation grants, travel for home based services and+ the school breakfast and fast break to learning programs ARTICLE 12 � TECHNICAL AMENDMENTSMaking technical corrections to certain provisions relating to the +definition of transition year families for child care assistance eligibility +purposes, school health services by licensed school nurses, teachers +probationary period under the tenure act, the termination of athletic coaches, the +general authority of school boards, school facilities heating, ventilation +and air conditioning (HVAC) systems installation or retrofitting, advertising+ on school buses, terminating the enrollment of nonresident students under the +enrollment options program, the definition of eligible institution under the post-secondary enrollment options (PSEO) act, the length of the +charter school year and charter school property leasing, special instruction and +services for children with disabilities, the definition of the metropolitan area +equity region for general education revenue computation purposes, the +authority of the commissioner of education to adopt administrative rules, the payment +of certain aids to school districts and school bus operation, equipment +standards and safety; repealing a certain obsolete aids reduction requirement and +certain amended language of certain repealed provisions relating to the +establishment of a statewide school district telecommunications network and the +advisory committees for the library for the blind and physically handicapped +and state multicultural education (Ch. 9, Special Session 2003)