1.1 	A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to education; clarifying and amending certain education provisions; 
1.3 	analyzing state and district reporting systems;amending Minnesota Statutes 
1.4 	2006, sections 205A.03, subdivision 1; 205A.06, subdivision 1a.
1.5 	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.6 	Section 1. Minnesota Statutes 2006, section 205A.03, subdivision 1, is amended to 
1.7 	read:
1.8 		Subdivision 1.Required Resolution requiring primary in certain circumstances.
 1.9 	In The school board of a school district election, may, by resolution adopted by June 1 of 
1.10 	any year, decide to choose school board nominees by a primary under this section. The 
1.11 	resolution, when adopted, is effective for all subsequent board member elections in the 
1.12 	school district until it is revoked. If the board decides to choose nominees by primary 
1.13 	and if there are more than two candidates for a specified school board position or more 
1.14 	than twice as many school board candidates as there are at-large school board positions 
1.15 	available, a school district must hold a primary.

1.16 	EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective the day following final enactment.

1.17 	Sec. 2. Minnesota Statutes 2006, section 205A.06, subdivision 1a, is amended to read:
1.18 		Subd. 1a.Filing period. In school districts that have adopted a resolution to choose 
1.19 	nominees for school board by a primary election, affidavits of candidacy must be filed 
1.20 	with the school district clerk no earlier than the 70th day and no later than the 56th day 
1.21 	before the first Tuesday after the second Monday in September in the year when the 
1.22 	school district general election is held. In all other school districts, affidavits of candidacy 
2.1 	must be filed no earlier than the 70th day and no later than the 56th day before the school 
2.2 	district's general election.

2.3 	EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective the day following final enactment.

2.4 	Sec. 3. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION REPORT.
 2.5 	The Department of Education must submit a report to the education committees of 
2.6 	the legislature by January 15, 2009, analyzing the department's data collection procedures 
2.7 	under each of the department's major data reporting systems and recommend a streamlined, 
2.8 	Web-based system of reporting school district data. The report also must analyze existing 
2.9 	stand-alone school district reporting requirements and recommend the elimination of any 
2.10 	district reports that are duplicative of other data already collected by the department.