HF 2714

as introduced - 86th Legislature (2009 - 2010) Posted on 02/09/2010 11:32pm

A bill for an act
relating to education; increasing the safe schools levy; amending Minnesota
Statutes 2009 Supplement, section 126C.44.

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

Section 1.

Minnesota Statutes 2009 Supplement, section 126C.44, is amended to read:

126C.44 SAFE SCHOOLS LEVY.

(a) Each district may make a levy on all taxable property located within the district
for the purposes specified in this section. The maximum amount which may be levied for
all costs under this section shall be equal to deleted text begin $30 deleted text end new text begin $32 new text end multiplied by the district's adjusted
marginal cost pupil units for the school year. The proceeds of the levy must be reserved and
used for directly funding the following purposes or for reimbursing the cities and counties
who contract with the district for the following purposes: (1) to pay the costs incurred for
the salaries, benefits, and transportation costs of peace officers and sheriffs for liaison in
services in the district's schools; (2) to pay the costs for a drug abuse prevention program
as defined in section 609.101, subdivision 3, paragraph (e), in the elementary schools;
(3) to pay the costs for a gang resistance education training curriculum in the district's
schools; (4) to pay the costs for security in the district's schools and on school property; (5)
to pay the costs for other crime prevention, drug abuse, student and staff safety, voluntary
opt-in suicide prevention tools, and violence prevention measures taken by the school
district; or (6) to pay costs for licensed school counselors, licensed school nurses, licensed
school social workers, licensed school psychologists, and licensed alcohol and chemical
dependency counselors to help provide early responses to problems. For expenditures
under clause (1), the district must initially attempt to contract for services to be provided
by peace officers or sheriffs with the police department of each city or the sheriff's
department of the county within the district containing the school receiving the services. If
a local police department or a county sheriff's department does not wish to provide the
necessary services, the district may contract for these services with any other police or
sheriff's department located entirely or partially within the school district's boundaries.

(b) A school district that is a member of an intermediate school district may
include in its authority under this section the costs associated with safe schools activities
authorized under paragraph (a) for intermediate school district programs. This authority
must not exceed $10 times the adjusted marginal cost pupil units of the member districts.
This authority is in addition to any other authority authorized under this section. Revenue
raised under this paragraph must be transferred to the intermediate school district.

(c) A school district must set aside at least $3 per adjusted marginal cost pupil
unit of the safe schools levy proceeds for the purposes authorized under paragraph (a),
clause (6). The district must annually certify either that: (1) its total spending on services
provided by the employees listed in paragraph (a), clause (6), is not less than the sum of
its expenditures for these purposes, excluding amounts spent under this section, in the
previous year plus the amount spent under this section; or (2) that the district's full-time
equivalent number of employees listed in paragraph (a), clause (6), is not less than the
number for the previous year.