HF 179

as introduced - 86th Legislature (2009 - 2010) Posted on 02/09/2010 01:34am

A bill for an act
relating to early childhood education; modifying the Head Start program;
amending Minnesota Statutes 2008, section 119A.52.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

Section 1.

Minnesota Statutes 2008, section 119A.52, is amended to read:

119A.52 DISTRIBUTION OF APPROPRIATION.

(a) The commissioner of education must distribute money appropriated for that
purpose to federally designated Head Start programs to expand services and to serve
additional low-income children. Migrant and Indian reservation programs must be initially
allocated money based on the programs' share of federal funds. The remaining money
must be initially allocated to the remaining local agencies based equally on the agencies'
share of federal funds and on the proportion of eligible children in the agencies' service
area who are not currently being served. A Head Start program must be funded at a per
child rate equal to its contracted, federally funded base level at the start of the fiscal
year. new text begin For all agencies without a federal Early Head Start rate, the state average federal
cost per child for Early Head Start applies. new text end In allocating funds under this paragraph, the
commissioner of education must assure that each Head Start program in existence in
1993 is allocated no less funding in any fiscal year than was allocated to that program in
fiscal year 1993. Before paying money to the programs, the commissioner must notify
each program of its initial allocation deleted text begin , deleted text end new text begin and new text end how the money must be used deleted text begin , and the number of
low-income children to be served with the allocation based upon the federally funded per
child rate deleted text end . Each program must present a plan under section 119A.535. For any program
that cannot utilize its full allocation at the beginning of the fiscal year, the commissioner
must reduce the allocation proportionately. Money available after the initial allocations
are reduced must be redistributed to eligible programs.

(b) The commissioner must develop procedures to make payments to programs
based upon the number of children reported to be enrolled during the required time
period of program operations. Enrollment is defined by federal Head Start regulations.
The procedures must include a reporting schedule, corrective action plan requirements,
and financial consequences to be imposed on programs that do not meet full enrollment
after the period of corrective action. Programs reporting chronic underenrollment, as
defined by the commissioner, will have their subsequent program year allocation reduced
proportionately. Funds made available by prorating payments and allocations to programs
with reported underenrollment will be made available to the extent funds exist to fully
enrolled Head Start programs through a form and manner prescribed by the department.