Legislative Session number- 84

Bill Name: SF2267

2E Providing for the financing of prekindergarten through grade 12 education
programs and services

ARTICLE 1 - GENERAL EDUCATION

Defining kindergarten for
general education purposes; requiring school districts to reserve a certain
amount of basic revenue for crime, drug abuse and violence prevention, gang
resistance education and peace officer services including pay for school
counselors, social workers, nurses and psychologists; reducing the formula for
determination of the required area learning center reserved revenue amount;
correcting the name of a certain manual used to record revenues and expenditures
for extra curricular (extracurricular) activities; defining adjusted net tax
capacity for debt service equalization purposes; providing for school district
recognition of taconite revenue; expanding building expenditures reporting
requirements, removing the exclusion of capital expenditures and pupil
transportation from separate accounts maintenance requirements; changing the
name of school district general fund accounts from undesignated fund balance to
net unreserved general fund balance for funds transfer and operating debt
calculation purposes, defining unreserved general fund balance; requiring school
districts to report the salaries and fringe benefits of certain school district
employees and pupil transportation expenditures; modifying the formulas for
general education and transportation revenue for charter schools; modifying
certain graduation incentive program enrollment verification requirements,
excluding compensatory revenue from the reduction requirement for part time
students; clarifying the formula for aid for alternative programs provided under
contract; defining extended average daily membership for school districts and
charter schools and providing for calculation; specifying certain requirements
for eligibility of public schools with project based programs for general
education revenue; modifying the general education revenue formula and
increasing the basic revenue formula allowance; eliminating operating capital
levy and aid after fiscal year 2006; updating the transportation sparsity
revenue allowance; excluding referendum conversion allowance authority from
referendum equity revenue, excepting districts reauthorizing the revenue at an
election; eliminating equity levy and aid and transition revenue, levy and aid
after fiscal year 2006, modifying the determination of transition revenue for
fiscal year 2006; requiring the commissioner of education to annually establish
the consolidated levy tax rate for levies payable in the following year;
requiring school district consolidated levies for general education revenue
eligibility purposes, imposing limits in excess levy cases; modifying the
general education aid and referendum revenue allowance formulas; increasing the
first tier referendum equalization allowance formula; simplifying the language
on referendum revenue ballots; authorizing and providing for school districts
receiving transition revenue in fiscal year 2004 to convert the transition
revenue conversion allowance to additional referendum allowance for fiscal year
2007 and later; clarifying the taconite deduction from general education aid;
accelerating the date for school district notice to the commissioner of
certified levies; requiring the reduction of certain levies upon imposition of a
tax on severed mineral values; providing for the payment of
telecommunications/internet access equity and shared time aids; modifying the
transportation sparsity aid formula for districts with charter schools; changing
the year for calculation of abatement aid; modifying the census requirement for
school districts, requiring use of the most recent federal census; clarifying
the requirement for county auditors to set property tax levy amounts; modifying
the distribution of excess taxes on captured net tax capacity of tax increment
financing (TIF) districts to school districts; adjusting certain appropriations
for general education, referendum tax base replacement and nonpublic pupil
education and transportation aids; providing for calculation of prekindergarten
programs and transition revenue 2004 conversion allowances; providing revenue
for school district replacement of defective Carpenter school buses; providing
for the calculation of pupil units for independent school district #38, Red Lake
for declining pupil unit aid receipt purposes; authorizing the reporting of
certain four or five year olds as kindergarten pupils; authorizing school
districts receiving additional transition revenue for the four year old
prekindergarten program in fiscal year 2006 to levy for the revenue in fiscal
year 2007; appropriating money to the department of education for school bus
loan revenue; repealing certain provisions relating to statutory operating debt,
operating capital and equity levies and aids, transition revenue and aid and the
safe schools levy

ARTICLE 2 - EDUCATION EXCELLENCE

Expanding required
academic standards to physical and health education; providing for waiver of
certain academic standards for students participating in certain rigorous
courses of study; modifying high school level mathematics course requirements,
specifying the number of required course credits for physical and health
education and reducing the number of elective course credits required for
graduation; clarifying certain school board instruction and curriculum policy
adoption requirements and authorizing web site publication of annual
student
achievement reports; regulating and providing for student participation
in gifted and talented programs; including self protection as one of the
components of violence prevention curriculum; providing for instruction on
documents relating to American heritage; modifying statewide testing
requirements for students in grade 8; providing for parental access to statewide
tests and assessments; requiring and providing for the commissioner of education
to implement a value added assessment program to assist school districts and
schools in assessing and reporting growth in student academic achievement and to
award grants to public school sites to increase student achievement and
eliminate the achievement gap; requiring school district electronic reporting of
dangerous weapons incidents and student exclusions and expulsions; requiring
school board policies prohibiting intimidation and bullying; authorizing
secondary students to possess and use nonprescription pain
relievers under
certain conditions; providing for comprehensive family life and sexuality
education programs; authorizing the board of school administrators to reimburse
local school districts for the cost of teachers employed to substitute for
regular teachers serving on the board; modifying certain teacher preparation
reading instruction requirements for licensing purposes; providing for
consecutive teaching experience for probationary teachers with consecutive
employment interrupted for active military service and for probationary periods
for assistant principals and an alternative teacher layoff procedure under the
teacher tenure act, defining work year for teacher probationary period
completion purposes; requiring substantial teacher participation in
the
development of school district educational improvement plans; providing a
professional compensation initiative for teachers in lieu of alternative teacher
compensation aid, authorizing the reopening of collective bargaining agreements
for professional compensation system and educational improvement plan purposes
and providing for professional compensation pilot site aid; specifying certain
requirements of staff development activities for effectiveness purposes, report
requirements; eliminating the authority of school districts to waive staff
development reserved revenue requirements and authorizing reservation of the
revenue by districts participating in the professional compensation initiative;
requiring and providing for the commissioner to establish schools mentoring
schools regional sites; authorizing and providing for the commissioner to
contract with the board of regents of the university of Minnesota to establish a
principals leadership institute to provide professional development to school
principals; authorizing school board establishment and operation of employee
recognition and criminal apprehension and arrest reward programs; modifying
certain provisions regulating school site decision making agreements;
authorizing school boards to establish pupil transportation safety committees to
review and recommend changes to pupil transportation safety policies and to
develop comprehensive plans for the safe transportation of students facing
hazardous transportation conditions; changing the first grade preparedness
program to the all day kindergarten program; requiring or encouraging
post-secondary institutions to award credit for successful completion of
programs under the post-secondary enrollment options (PSEO) program certified by
the national alliance of concurrent enrollment partnership; clarifying the
prohibition on the receipt of aids, grants or revenue based on certain levies
for charter schools; modifying eligibility for services under assurance of
mastery programs relating to students failing certain tests; authorizing
American Indian education programs in charter schools and eliminating the
required involvement of the American Indian education advisory committee in
grant and scholarship awards; requiring and providing for the commissioner to
continue implementation of the no child left behind act without interruption,
specifying certain review and report requirements; authorizing the board of the
Perpich center for arts education to conduct meetings by telephone or other
electronic means; expanding the definition of public employee under the public
employment labor relations act (PELRA) to early childhood family education
(ECFE) teachers employed by school districts; modifying court findings
requirements for children adjudicated in need of protection or services relating
to drivers licenses or permits; modifying certain prior appropriations for best
practices seminars, for teacher compensation, for youth works programs, for
student organizations, for the collaborative urban educator program and for all
day kindergarten; requiring the higher education advisory council to convene a
working group to develop college preparation standards; specifying certain
duties of the commissioner relating to adopting rules to implement the Minnesota
comprehensive assessments second edition (MCA-IIs) in reading, mathematics and
writing, including the cost of developing an adaptive computer based assessment
within the budget for statewide testing, to transmitting to school districts
health and physical education model benchmarks and to amending rules for
supplemental services providers to include outcome standards; requiring the
commissioner to work with the Minnesota school boards association to develop a
model policy prohibiting intimidation and bullying and to contract with an
independent contractor to continue and complete the work done by the education
funding task force of the governor; requiring the office of educational
accountability to evaluate the educational impact of the federal no child left
behind act and other state and federal laws requiring school districts to
administer tests to kindergarten through grade twelve students; requiring school
districts and department of education development of certain licensed student
support services; requiring the board of teaching to prepare and submit to the
legislature by a certain date proposed licensure requirements for teachers of
interdisciplinary curriculum to facilitate learning in state approved innovative
schools and programs; requiring the commissioner to convene a task force on
professional compensation models for teachers and report to the legislature by a
certain date; appropriating money to the department for an improved school
finance system contract, for a staff development state match and for the
professional compensation for teachers task force; repealing a certain existing
provision providing for programs to prevent and reduce the risks of sexually
transmitted infections and diseases and the alternative teacher compensation
system and aid

ARTICLE 3 - SPECIAL PROGRAMS

Expanding aversive and deprivation
procedures to positive behavioral
interventions and supports and time outs and
modifying and expanding certain rule requirements of the commissioner of
education; establishing a student support services advisory committee,
specifying certain membership requirements and duties; expanding the definition
of transportation services for pupils with disabilities for transportation aid
entitlement purposes, including the costs of transporting homeless students;
modifying the authority of charter schools to charge tuition to districts of
residence for special education aid eligibility purposes; restoring school
district career and technical levy authority; increasing aid for limited English
proficiency (LEP) programs by modifying the average daily membership
requirement; modifying the nonresident tuition rate and certain other costs for
children with disabilities; modifying certain membership requirements for
special education parent advisory councils and the date for annual submission by
the state interagency coordinating council of recommendations to the governor
and certain commissioners on policies for a comprehensive and coordinated
special instruction system; providing transportation for homeless students;
increasing the program growth factor for special education revenue and excess
cost aid determination purposes and the state total special education and
special education excess cost aids; creating the charter school special
education reimbursement account in the general fund and transferring the
amount
necessary for payment of the state share from the appropriation for
special education excess cost aid to the account; requiring the commissioner to
examine the tuition bills from charter schools, authorizing adjustment;
authorizing school district members of the Wright technical center to levy for a
certain percentage of the costs associated with leases of administrative and
classroom space at the center, limit; requiring the commissioner to designate a
full time state coordinator for world languages education within the department
of education by a certain date, specifying duties of the coordinator; requiring
adjustment of special education aid for pupils attending nonresident districts
and adjusting the tuition to the resident district for certain facilities and
instructional costs provided to students with disabilities; reinstating the
advisory committee to the staff of the library for the blind and physically
handicapped on long range plans and library services; modifying certain
appropriations for special education and special education excess cost aids;
establishing the native language eminence credentialing task force to support
the teaching and revitalization of the Dakota and Anishinaabe languages,
specifying certain membership requirements and duties; providing for the
establishment of a temporary task force on the delivery of special education
services to nonpublic school students by public school districts with the
congressional reauthorization of the federal individuals with disabilities
education act to compare and evaluate individual needs for services, requiring a
report to the legislature by a certain date; appropriating money to the
department of education for the nonpublic student special education task force
and the native language eminence credentialing task force; repealing a certain
special litigation and hearing costs payment requirement

ARTICLE 4 -
TECHNOLOGY, FACILITIES AND ACCOUNTING

Requiring school districts providing
electronic components of curriculum to resident students to provide access to
the components to home schooled students upon request under certain incidental
cost conditions; expanding certain school or school district parental notice
requirements relating to the use of certain older pools for supervised
competitive high school diving training and competitions; adjusting a certain
debt service appropriation; encouraging school districts to include certain
acoustical performance criteria in facility construction proposals; modifying
the online learning program, establishing a temporary online learning advisory
council; providing telecommunications/internet access equity aid to school
districts or charter schools, requiring school districts to provide
telecommunications/internet access services for nonpublic schools upon request;
authorizing school districts to hold referenda on the same day as the district
election for facility operating costs; reducing the maximum effort capital loan
tax rate; authorizing and providing for administrative regions of the state high
school league to contract with the state auditor or with private certified
public accountants (CPA) to perform annual audits; excluding bonds issued to pay
pension fund liabilities from the net debt of special school district #1,
Minneapolis; authorizing school districts to appropriate unused (surplus) debt
service revenue for general purposes; expanding a certain provision authorizing
the payment of school district refunding bonds from taconite production tax
revenues; extending the garage lease levy authority of independent school
district #748, Sartell; modifying a certain appropriation for debt service
equalization; authorizing independent school districts #318, Grand Rapids and
#88, New Ulm to use capital expenditure health and safety revenue to construct
appurtenances used exclusively to house and maintain mechanical air handling
systems; extending the disabled access levy authority of independent school
district #595, East Grand Forks; authorizing an administrative space lease levy
in independent school district #110, Waconia; specifying a certain commissioner
of education priority in offsetting levy adjustments between levy categories for
independent school district #599, Fertile-Beltrami; authorizing independent
school district #518, Worthington to lease facilities
provided for a certain
residential program to a private business or organization to provide adult
foster care or child foster care services or for other special education
purposes; authorizing certain fund transfers in independent school districts
#836, Butterfield, #771, Chokio-Alberta, #2888, Clinton-Graceville-Beardsley,
#200, Hastings, #2071, Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial, #2180, M.A.C.C.R.A.Y.,
#2887, McLeod west, #418, Russell, #584, Ruthton, #177, Windom and #2609,
Win-E-Mac; requiring the commissioner to submit a report to the legislature by a
certain date on average school construction costs; appropriating money to the
department of education for equity in telecommunication access and for
emergency infrastructure damage repair aid for independent school district #38,
Red Lake

ARTICLE 5 - NUTRITION

Increasing school lunch aid to school
districts participating in the national school lunch program and the amount of
reimbursement to public or nonpublic schools for milk served to kindergarten
students; modifying certain prior appropriations for school lunch aid and for
traditional school breakfast aid for milk for kindergarteners; authorizing and
providing for independent school districts #11, Anoka-Hennepin and #709 Duluth
to establish pilot programs to enhance milk consumption in schools, specifying
certain plan and reporting requirements and appropriating money to the
department of education for program grants

ARTICLE 6 - STATE
AGENCIES

Modifying certain prior appropriations to the department of education,
to the state academies for the deaf and blind and to the Perpich center for the
arts; approving and appropriating certain federal grants and aids expenditures
exceptions

ARTICLE 7 - SCHOOL EMPLOYEE HEALTH INSURANCE

Providing for a
school employee health insurance plan; creating the Minnesota school employee
insurance board to create and administer the Minnesota school employee insurance
pool, specifying membership representation requirements and duties; providing
for the design and nature of the plan, requiring a board final design report to
the legislature by a certain date and subsequent periodic evaluations and
reports; board to be a contributing member of the Minnesota comprehensive health
association (MCHA), providing for assessments and for imposition of the gross
premium tax; appropriating money to the commissioner of commerce as a start up
costs loan to the board

ARTICLE 8 - TECHNICAL AND CONFORMING AMENDMENTS

Making
technical and conforming amendments to certain statutory provisions relating to
statistical accountability, to student suspensions, to charter school boards
open meeting requirements, to youth work grants, to appropriation transfers and
to the payment percentage for Indian post-secondary preparation grants
(ra, ja)