1.1 	A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to education; providing for regional
1.3 	education districts; amending Minnesota Statutes 2004,
1.4 	sections 123A.24, subdivision 2; 275.066; proposing
1.5 	coding for new law in Minnesota Statutes, chapter 123A.
1.6 	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.7 	Section 1. [123A.10] REGIONAL EDUCATION DISTRICTS.
1.8 		Subdivision 1.Purpose. The purpose of a regional
1.9 	education district is to increase educational opportunities for
1.10 	learners by increasing cooperation and coordination among school
1.11 	districts, other governmental units, and postsecondary
1.12 	institutions and to increase the efficiency of administrative
1.13 	services for elementary and secondary education by combining
1.14 	instruction, curriculum, and administrative functions for
1.15 	multiple school districts, while maintaining independent school
1.16 	district control of individual student attendance sites.
1.17 		Subd. 2.Agreement to establish a regional education
1.18 	district. Two or more school districts may enter into a written
1.19 	agreement to establish a regional education district.  The
1.20 	agreement must address methods to increase educational
1.21 	opportunities for learners and improve the efficiency of
1.22 	delivering noninstructional services.  Once established, cities,
1.23 	counties, and other governmental units as defined in section
1.24 	471.59 may become members of the regional education district.
1.25 	The agreement and subsequent amendments must be adopted by
2.1 	majority vote of the full membership of each board.
2.2 		Subd. 3.Notice and public hearing on proposed
2.3 	agreement. Before entering into an agreement, the board of each
2.4 	member district must publish a summary of the proposed agreement
2.5 	and its effect upon the district at least once in a newspaper of
2.6 	general circulation in the district.  The board must conduct a
2.7 	public hearing on the proposed agreement not more than ten days
2.8 	after the notice and at least 30 days before entering into an
2.9 	agreement.
2.10 		Subd. 4.Meeting with teacher representatives. Before
2.11 	entering into an agreement, the board of each member district
2.12 	must meet and confer with the exclusive representatives of the
2.13 	teachers of each district proposing to enter the regional
2.14 	education district.

2.15 	Sec. 2. [123A.11] REGIONAL EDUCATION DISTRICT BOARD.
2.16 		Subdivision 1.School district representation. The
2.17 	regional education district board shall be composed of the
2.18 	superintendent of each member district and at least one
2.19 	additional representative appointed by the school board of each
2.20 	member district.  Each representative must be a member of the
2.21 	appointing school board.  Each representative shall serve at the
2.22 	pleasure of the appointing board and may be recalled by a
2.23 	majority vote of the appointing board.  Each representative
2.24 	shall serve for the term that is specified in the agreement.
2.25 	The board shall select its officers from among its members and
2.26 	shall determine the terms of the officers.  The board shall
2.27 	adopt bylaws for the conduct of its business.  The board may
2.28 	conduct public meetings via interactive television if the board
2.29 	complies with chapter 13D in each location where board members
2.30 	are present.
2.31 		Subd. 2.Postsecondary representation. The regional
2.32 	education district board may appoint, with the approval of the
2.33 	member postsecondary institution, a representative from one or
2.34 	more member postsecondary institutions as a member of the
2.35 	regional education district board.  Each postsecondary
2.36 	representative shall serve at the pleasure of the regional
3.1 	education district board and may be recalled by a majority vote
3.2 	of the regional education district board.  The education
3.3 	district agreement may specify issues on which a postsecondary
3.4 	representative may vote.
3.5 		Subd. 3.Personnel. The board may employ personnel as
3.6 	necessary to provide instruction, curriculum, and
3.7 	noninstructional services for the regional education district.
3.8 	Regional education district staff shall participate in
3.9 	retirement programs.  Notwithstanding section 123B.143,
3.10 	subdivision 1, a member district of a regional education
3.11 	district may contract with the regional education district to
3.12 	obtain the services of a superintendent.  The person to provide
3.13 	the services need not be employed by the regional education
3.14 	district or a member district at the time the contract is
3.15 	entered into.
3.16 		Subd. 4.Contracts. The board may enter into contracts
3.17 	with districts and other public and private agencies to provide
3.18 	services needed in the regional education district.
3.19 		Subd. 5.General law. The board shall be governed,
3.20 	unless specifically provided otherwise, by section 471.59.
3.21 		Subd. 6.Annual report. The board shall submit an annual
3.22 	report to the member districts and the commissioner regarding
3.23 	the activities of the regional education district.

3.24 	Sec. 3. [123A.12] REGIONAL EDUCATION DISTRICT AGREEMENT.
3.25 		Subdivision 1.Implementation; review. A regional
3.26 	education district board shall implement the agreement for
3.27 	provision of services to the member school districts adopted by
3.28 	the member districts according to section 123A.10, subdivision
3.29 	2.  The education administrative district board shall review the
3.30 	agreement annually and propose necessary amendments to the
3.31 	member districts.
3.32 		Subd. 2.Education and administrative services. The
3.33 	agreement must specify which instruction, curriculum, and
3.34 	administrative services are to be provided by the regional
3.35 	education district.  These services may include, but are not
3.36 	limited to, the educational services and programs defined in
4.1 	section 123A.21, subdivisions 7 and 8.
4.2 		Subd. 3.Finances. The initial agreement must:
4.3 	(1) include a three-year budget projection comparing
4.4 	existing noninstructional services and their costs with the
4.5 	proposed services and their costs for each year;
4.6 	(2) specify any startup costs for the regional education
4.7 	district;
4.8 	(3) specify the estimated amount the board will levy for
4.9 	startup costs or other operational expenses; and 
4.10 	(4) specify an equitable distribution formula for the
4.11 	regional education district board to assess and certify to each
4.12 	member school district its proportionate share of expenses.
4.13 	Each member district must remit its assessment to the regional
4.14 	education district board within 30 days after receipt.
4.15 		Subd. 4.Special taxing district. A regional education
4.16 	district is a special taxing district and may levy for the joint
4.17 	provision of services under the agreement.
4.18 		Subd. 5.Reports to department of education. Member
4.19 	districts may submit joint reports and jointly provide
4.20 	information required by the department.  The joint reports must
4.21 	allow information, including expenditures for the regional
4.22 	education district, to be attributed to each member district.
4.23 		Subd. 6.Addition and withdrawal of districts. (a) Upon
4.24 	approval by majority vote of a district school board and of the
4.25 	regional education district board, a district may become a
4.26 	member of the regional education district and be governed by the
4.27 	provisions of this section and the agreement in effect.
4.28 	(b) A district may withdraw from the regional education
4.29 	district and from the agreement in effect by a majority vote of
4.30 	the full board membership of the member district desiring
4.31 	withdrawal and upon compliance with provisions in the agreement
4.32 	establishing the regional education district.  The withdrawal
4.33 	shall become effective at the end of the next following fiscal
4.34 	year.
4.35 		Subd. 7.Dissolution. The boards of each member district
4.36 	may agree to dissolve the regional education district effective
5.1 	at the end of any fiscal year or at an earlier time as they may
5.2 	mutually agree.  A dissolution must be accomplished in
5.3 	accordance with any applicable provisions of the agreement
5.4 	establishing the regional education district.  The dissolution
5.5 	must not affect the continuing liability of the previous member
5.6 	districts for continuing obligations, including unemployment
5.7 	benefits.

5.8 	Sec. 4. [123A.13] TEACHING POSITIONS.
5.9 	The provisions of section 123A.19 regarding teaching
5.10 	positions apply to a regional education district.

5.11 	Sec. 5. Minnesota Statutes 2004, section 123A.24,
5.12 	subdivision 2, is amended to read:
5.13 		Subd. 2.Cooperative unit defined.  For the purposes of
5.14 	this section, a cooperative unit is:
5.15 	(1) an education district organized under sections 123A.15
5.16 	to 123A.19;
5.17 	(2) a cooperative vocational center organized under section
5.18 	123A.22;
5.19 	(3) an intermediate district organized under chapter 136D;
5.20 	(4) a regional education district organized under sections
5.21 	123A.10 to 123A.12;
5.22 	(5) a service cooperative organized under section 123A.21;
5.23 	or
5.24 	(5) (6) a regional management information center organized
5.25 	under section 123A.23 or as a joint powers district according to
5.26 	section 471.59.

5.27 	Sec. 5. Minnesota Statutes 2004, section 275.066, is
5.28 	amended to read:
5.29 	275.066 SPECIAL TAXING DISTRICTS; DEFINITION.
5.30 	For the purposes of property taxation and property tax
5.31 	state aids, the term "special taxing districts" includes the
5.32 	following entities:
5.33 	(1) watershed districts under chapter 103D;
5.34 	(2) sanitary districts under sections 115.18 to 115.37;
5.35 	(3) regional sanitary sewer districts under sections 115.61
5.36 	to 115.67;
6.1 	(4) regional public library districts under section
6.2 	134.201;
6.3 	(5) park districts under chapter 398;
6.4 	(6) regional railroad authorities under chapter 398A;
6.5 	(7) hospital districts under sections 447.31 to 447.38;
6.6 	(8) St. Cloud Metropolitan Transit Commission under
6.7 	sections 458A.01 to 458A.15;
6.8 	(9) Duluth Transit Authority under sections 458A.21 to
6.9 	458A.37;
6.10 	(10) regional development commissions under sections
6.11 	462.381 to 462.398;
6.12 	(11) housing and redevelopment authorities under sections
6.13 	469.001 to 469.047;
6.14 	(12) port authorities under sections 469.048 to 469.068;
6.15 	(13) economic development authorities under sections
6.16 	469.090 to 469.1081;
6.17 	(14) Metropolitan Council under sections 473.123 to
6.18 	473.549;
6.19 	(15) Metropolitan Airports Commission under sections
6.20 	473.601 to 473.680;
6.21 	(16) Metropolitan Mosquito Control Commission under
6.22 	sections 473.701 to 473.716;
6.23 	(17) Morrison County Rural Development Financing Authority
6.24 	under Laws 1982, chapter 437, section 1;
6.25 	(18) Croft Historical Park District under Laws 1984,
6.26 	chapter 502, article 13, section 6;
6.27 	(19) East Lake County Medical Clinic District under Laws
6.28 	1989, chapter 211, sections 1 to 6;
6.29 	(20) Floodwood Area Ambulance District under Laws 1993,
6.30 	chapter 375, article 5, section 39;
6.31 	(21) Middle Mississippi River Watershed Management
6.32 	Organization under sections 103B.211 and 103B.241;
6.33 	(22) emergency medical services special taxing districts
6.34 	under section 144F.01;
6.35 	(23) a county levying under the authority of section
6.36 	103B.241, 103B.245, or 103B.251;
7.1 	(24) a regional education district organized under sections
7.2 	123A.10 to 123A.12;
7.3 	(25) Southern St. Louis County Special Taxing District;
7.4 	Chris Jensen Nursing Home under Laws 2003, First Special Session
7.5 	chapter 21, article 4, section 12; and
7.6 	(25) (26) any other political subdivision of the state of
7.7 	Minnesota, excluding counties, school districts, cities, and
7.8 	towns, that has the power to adopt and certify a property tax
7.9 	levy to the county auditor, as determined by the commissioner of
7.10 	revenue.