HF 4216

as introduced - 93rd Legislature (2023 - 2024) Posted on 03/20/2024 01:19pm

A bill for an act
relating to education finance; creating a safe schools aid; repealing student support
personnel aid; appropriating money; amending Minnesota Statutes 2023
Supplement, section 126C.44, subdivisions 1, 4, by adding a subdivision; Laws
2023, chapter 55, article 5, section 64, subdivision 14; repealing Minnesota Statutes
2023 Supplement, section 124D.901.

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

Section 1.

Minnesota Statutes 2023 Supplement, section 126C.44, subdivision 1, is amended
to read:

Subdivision 1.

Safe schools revenue for school districts.

A school deleted text begin district's deleted text end new text begin district,
charter school, or cooperative unit's new text end safe schools revenue equals new text begin the sum of its safe school
aid and new text end its safe schools levy.

Sec. 2.

Minnesota Statutes 2023 Supplement, section 126C.44, is amended by adding a
subdivision to read:

new text begin Subd. 1a. new text end

new text begin Safe schools aid. new text end

new text begin (a) Safe schools aid for a school district equals the greater
of the safe schools allowance times the adjusted pupil units at the district for the current
fiscal year or $40,000. The initial safe schools aid for a charter school equals the greater of
the safe schools allowance times the adjusted pupil units at the charter school for the current
fiscal year or $20,000.
new text end

new text begin (b) The cooperative student safe schools aid for a school district that is a member of an
intermediate school district or other cooperative unit defined in section 123A.24, subdivision
2, that serves students equals the greater of the cooperative safe schools allowance times
the adjusted pupil units at the district for the current fiscal year or $40,000. If a district is a
member of more than one cooperative unit that serves students, the safe schools aid must
be allocated among the cooperative units.
new text end

new text begin (c) The safe schools allowance equals $17.08 for fiscal year 2025 and $48.73 for fiscal
year 2026 and later.
new text end

new text begin (d) The cooperative safe schools allowance equals $0.85 for fiscal year 2025 and $2.44
for fiscal year 2026 and later.
new text end

new text begin EFFECTIVE DATE. new text end

new text begin This section is effective for fiscal year 2025 and later.
new text end

Sec. 3.

Minnesota Statutes 2023 Supplement, section 126C.44, subdivision 4, is amended
to read:

Subd. 4.

Use of safe schools revenue.

(a) Safe schools revenue 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;

(6) to pay costs for licensed school counselors, licensed school nurses, licensed school
social workers, licensed school psychologists, and licensed alcohol and substance use
disorder counselors to help provide early responses to problems;

(7) to pay for facility security enhancements including laminated glass, public
announcement systems, emergency communications devices, and equipment and facility
modifications related to violence prevention and facility security;

(8) to pay for costs associated with improving the school climate;

(9) to pay costs for colocating and collaborating with mental health professionals who
are not district employees or contractors; deleted text begin or
deleted text end

(10) to pay for the costs of cybersecurity measures, including updating computer hardware
and software, other systems upgrades, and cybersecurity insurance costs new text begin ; or
new text end

new text begin (11) to pay for any costs authorized under Minnesota Statutes 2023 Supplement, section
124D.901 new text end .

(b) For expenditures under paragraph (a), 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.

new text begin EFFECTIVE DATE. new text end

new text begin This section is effective for revenue for fiscal year 2025 and later.
new text end

Sec. 4.

Laws 2023, chapter 55, article 5, section 64, subdivision 14, is amended to read:

Subd. 14.

Student support personnel aid.

(a) For aid to support schools in addressing
students' social, emotional, and physical health under Minnesota Statutes, section 124D.901:

	$	29,138,000	.....	2024
	deleted text begin $ deleted text end	deleted text begin 35,270,000 deleted text end	deleted text begin ..... deleted text end	deleted text begin 2025 deleted text end

(b) The 2024 appropriation includes $0 for fiscal year 2023 and $29,138,000 for fiscal
year 2024.

(c) The 2025 appropriation includes $3,237,000 for fiscal year 2024 and deleted text begin $32,033,000 deleted text end new text begin
$0 new text end for fiscal year 2025.

Sec. 5. new text begin APPROPRIATION; SAFE SCHOOLS AID.
new text end

new text begin Subdivision 1. new text end

new text begin Department of Education. new text end

new text begin The sums indicated in this section are
appropriated from the general fund to the Department of Education in the fiscal years
designated.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 2. new text end

new text begin Safe schools aid. new text end

new text begin (a) For safe schools aid under Minnesota Statutes, section
126C.44:
new text end

new text begin $ new text end

new text begin 35,270,000 new text end

new text begin ..... new text end

new text begin 2025 new text end

new text begin (b) The 2025 appropriation includes $0 for 2024 and $32,033,000 for 2025.
new text end

Sec. 6. new text begin REPEALER.
new text end

new text begin Minnesota Statutes 2023 Supplement, section 124D.901, new text end new text begin is repealed.
new text end

new text begin EFFECTIVE DATE. new text end

new text begin This section is effective July 1, 2024.
new text end

APPENDIX

Repealed Minnesota Statutes: 24-06947

124D.901 STUDENT SUPPORT PERSONNEL AID.

Subdivision 1.

Definitions.

For the purposes of this section, the following terms have the meanings given:

(1) "new position" means a student support services personnel full-time or part-time position not under contract by a school district, charter school, or cooperative unit at the start of the 2022-2023 school year;

(2) "part-time position" means a student support services personnel position less than 1.0 full-time equivalent at the start of the 2022-2023 school year;

(3) "American Rescue Plan Act" means the federal American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, Public Law 117-2, that awarded funds; and

(4) "student support services personnel" means an individual licensed to serve as a school counselor, school psychologist, school social worker, school nurse, or chemical dependency counselor in Minnesota.

Subd. 2.

Purpose.

The purpose of student support personnel aid is to:

(1) address shortages of student support services personnel within Minnesota schools;

(2) decrease caseloads for existing student support services personnel to ensure effective services;

(3) ensure that students receive effective student support services and integrated and comprehensive services to improve prekindergarten through grade 12 academic, physical, social, and emotional outcomes supporting career and college readiness and effective school mental health services;

(4) ensure that student support services personnel serve within the scope and practice of their training and licensure;

(5) fully integrate learning supports, instruction, assessment, data-based decision making, and family and community engagement within a comprehensive approach that facilitates interdisciplinary collaboration; and

(6) improve student health, school safety, and school climate to support academic success and career and college readiness.

Subd. 3.

Student support personnel aid.

(a) The initial student support personnel aid for a school district equals the greater of the student support personnel allowance times the adjusted pupil units at the district for the current fiscal year or $40,000. The initial student support personnel aid for a charter school equals the greater of the student support personnel allowance times the adjusted pupil units at the charter school for the current fiscal year or $20,000.

(b) The cooperative student support personnel aid for a school district that is a member of an intermediate school district or other cooperative unit that serves students equals the greater of the cooperative student support allowance times the adjusted pupil units at the district for the current fiscal year or $40,000. If a district is a member of more than one cooperative unit that serves students, the revenue must be allocated among the cooperative units.

(c) The student support personnel allowance equals $11.94 for fiscal year 2024, $17.08 for fiscal year 2025, and $48.73 for fiscal year 2026 and later.

(d) The cooperative student support allowance equals $0.60 for fiscal year 2024, $0.85 for fiscal year 2025, and $2.44 for fiscal year 2026 and later.

(e) Notwithstanding paragraphs (a) and (b), the student support personnel aid must not exceed the district's, charter school's, or cooperative unit's actual expenditures.

Subd. 4.

Allowed uses.

(a) Aid under this section must be used to hire new positions for student support services personnel or increase a current position that is less than 1.0 full-time equivalent to a greater number of service hours or make permanent a position hired using onetime resources awarded through the federal Coronavirus Aid Relief and Economic Security Act, the federal Consolidated Appropriations Act, the federal Division M-Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, or the federal American Rescue Plan Act, or to maintain a position that would otherwise be eliminated.

(b) Cooperative student support personnel aid must be transferred to the intermediate district or other cooperative unit of which the district is a member and used to hire new positions for student support services personnel or increase a current position that is less than 1.0 full-time equivalent to a greater number of service hours or make permanent a position hired using onetime resources awarded through the American Rescue Plan Act at the intermediate district or cooperative unit.

(c) If a school district, charter school, or cooperative unit does not receive at least two applications and is not able to hire a new full-time equivalent position with student support personnel aid, the aid may be used for contracted services from individuals licensed to serve as a school counselor, school psychologist, school social worker, school nurse, or chemical dependency counselor in Minnesota.

Subd. 5.

Report required.

By February 1 following any fiscal year in which student support personnel aid was received, a school district, charter school, or cooperative unit must submit a written report to the commissioner indicating how the new position affected two or more of the following measures:

(1) school climate;

(2) student health;

(3) attendance rates;

(4) academic achievement;

(5) career and college readiness; and

(6) postsecondary completion rates.