1.1 	A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to education finance; establishing a working group to review progress on 
1.3 	Minnesota's school finance reform efforts; appropriating money.
1.4 	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.5 	Section 1. SCHOOL FINANCE TASK FORCE.
 1.6 		Subdivision 1.Recommendations and duties. The School Finance Task Force is 
1.7 	established to recommend to the Minnesota legislature changes designed to make Minnesota's 
1.8 	school finance formulas more equitable and efficient. The task force must publicly adopt 
1.9 	goals for Minnesota's funding system, identify specific formula changes to implement those 
1.10 	goals, and recommend changes to the Minnesota legislature. The task force must examine 
1.11 	funding for at least regular instruction, special education, and facilities. The task force may 
1.12 	also examine other areas of Minnesota's school funding system.
1.13 		Subd. 2.Membership. The School Finance Task Force shall have 15 members appointed 
1.14 	by July 1, 2017, as follows:
1.15 	(1) five members appointed by the governor;
1.16 	(2) five members appointed by the house of representatives Education Finance 
1.17 	Committee; and
1.18 	(3) five members appointed by the senate Education Committee.
1.19 		Subd. 3.Terms. Unless replaced by their appointing authority, each member shall serve 
1.20 	until the task force sunsets.
2.1 		Subd. 4.First meeting. The commissioner of education must convene the first meeting 
2.2 	of the task force by August 1, 2017.
2.3 		Subd. 5.Chair. The chair of the task force must be elected by the task force membership 
2.4 	and, unless replaced by a vote of the task force membership, serves until the task force 
2.5 	sunsets.
2.6 		Subd. 6.Assistance. The commissioner of education, upon request, must provide 
2.7 	technical assistance and support to task force members, including identifying areas where 
2.8 	past reports have identified formulas that should be changed to provide greater efficiency 
2.9 	and equity among Minnesota's school districts and charter schools.
2.10 		Subd. 7.Report. By January 1, 2018, and again on January 1, 2020, the task force must 
2.11 	submit its recommendations to the commissioner of education for changes to Minnesota's 
2.12 	education funding system. The commissioner must consider these recommendations when 
2.13 	advising the governor on the governor's education funding budget recommendations. 
2.14 	Following the release of the task force recommendations, and not more than two weeks 
2.15 	after the public release of the governor's proposed education budget, the commissioner must 
2.16 	determine the portions of the governor's proposed budget that further the goals established 
2.17 	by the task force and those that do not and report those items to the education committees 
2.18 	of the legislature.
2.19 		Subd. 8.Sunset. The task force sunsets the day after submitting its final report under 
2.20 	subdivision 7.

2.21 	Sec. 2. APPROPRIATION; SCHOOL FINANCE TASK FORCE.
 2.22 	$....... in fiscal year 2018 is appropriated from the general fund to the commissioner of 
2.23 	education for the duties of the School Finance Task Force established in section 1.