SF 25

as introduced - 91st Legislature (2019 - 2020) Posted on 01/10/2019 03:48pm

A bill for an act
relating to education; authorizing school districts to bond for certain security
equipment; modifying the safe schools revenue program; amending Minnesota
Statutes 2018, sections 123B.61; 126C.44.

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

Section 1.

Minnesota Statutes 2018, section 123B.61, is amended to read:

123B.61 PURCHASE OF CERTAIN EQUIPMENT.

The board of a district may issue general obligation certificates of indebtedness or capital
notes subject to the district debt limits to: (a) purchase vehicles, computers, telephone
systems, cable equipment, photocopy and office equipment, technological equipment for
instruction, new text begin public announcement systems, emergency communications devices, other
equipment related to violence prevention and facility security, new text end and other capital equipment
having an expected useful life at least as long as the terms of the certificates or notes; (b)
purchase computer hardware and software, without regard to its expected useful life, whether
bundled with machinery or equipment or unbundled, together with application development
services and training related to the use of the computer; and (c) prepay special assessments.
The certificates or notes must be payable in not more than ten years and must be issued on
the terms and in the manner determined by the board, except that certificates or notes issued
to prepay special assessments must be payable in not more than 20 years. The certificates
or notes may be issued by resolution and without the requirement for an election. The
certificates or notes are general obligation bonds for purposes of section 126C.55. A tax
levy must be made for the payment of the principal and interest on the certificates or notes,
in accordance with section 475.61, as in the case of bonds. The sum of the tax levies under
this section and section 123B.62 for each year must not exceed the lesser of new text begin the sum of new text end the
amount of the district's total operating capital revenue new text begin and safe schools revenue, new text end or the sum
of the district's levy in the general and community service funds excluding the adjustments
under this section for the year preceding the year the initial debt service levies are certified.
The district's general fund levy for each year must be reduced by the sum of (1) the amount
of the tax levies for debt service certified for each year for payment of the principal and
interest on the certificates or notes issued under this section as required by section 475.61,
(2) the amount of the tax levies for debt service certified for each year for payment of the
principal and interest on bonds issued under section 123B.62, and (3) any excess amount
in the debt redemption fund used to retire bonds, certificates, or notes issued under this
section or section 123B.62 after April 1, 1997, other than amounts used to pay capitalized
interest. If the district's general fund levy is less than the amount of the reduction, the balance
shall be deducted first from the district's community service fund levy, and next from the
district's general fund or community service fund levies for the following year. A district
using an excess amount in the debt redemption fund to retire the certificates or notes shall
report the amount used for this purpose to the commissioner by July 15 of the following
fiscal year. A district having an outstanding capital loan under section 126C.69 or an
outstanding debt service loan under section 126C.68 must not use an excess amount in the
debt redemption fund to retire the certificates or notes.

new text begin EFFECTIVE DATE. new text end

new text begin This section is effective July 1, 2019.
new text end

Sec. 2.

Minnesota Statutes 2018, section 126C.44, is amended to read:

126C.44 SAFE SCHOOLS deleted text begin LEVY deleted text end new text begin REVENUE new text end .

new text begin Subdivision 1. new text end

new text begin Safe schools revenue. new text end

(a) deleted text begin 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 $36 multiplied
by deleted text end new text begin For fiscal year 2020 only, safe schools revenue for a school district equals the greater
of $54 times the district's adjusted pupil units for the school year, or $22,500.
new text end

new text begin (b) For fiscal year 2021 and later, safe schools revenue for a school district equals the
greater of $72 times new text end the district's adjusted pupil units for the school year new text begin , or $30,000 new text end .

new text begin Subd. 2. new text end

new text begin Safe schools levy. new text end

new text begin (a) For fiscal year 2020 only, a district's safe schools levy
equals $36 times the district's adjusted pupil units for the school year.
new text end

new text begin (b) To obtain safe schools revenue for fiscal year 2021 and later, a district may levy an
amount not more than the product of its safe schools revenue for the fiscal year times the
lesser of one or the ratio of its adjusted net tax capacity per adjusted pupil unit to the safe
schools equalizing factor. The safe schools equalizing factor equals 60 percent of the state
average net tax capacity per adjusted pupil unit for all school districts.
new text end

new text begin (c) A school district that is a member of a cooperative unit may include in its levy
authority under this section the costs associated with safe schools activities authorized under
subdivision 5, paragraph (a), clauses (1) to (9), for cooperative unit programs. This authority
must not exceed the product of:
new text end

new text begin (1) the ratio of the safe schools allowance in paragraph (a) for the current year to the
allowance for taxes payable in 2019;
new text end

new text begin (2) $15 times; and
new text end

new text begin (3) the adjusted pupil units of the member districts.
new text end

new text begin This authority is in addition to any other authority authorized under this section. Revenue
raised under this paragraph must be transferred to the cooperative unit. For the purposes of
this paragraph, "cooperative unit" includes entities defined under section 123A.24,
subdivision 2, and other joint powers districts.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 3. new text end

new text begin Safe schools aid. new text end

new text begin A district's safe schools aid equals its safe schools revenue
minus its safe schools levy times the ratio of the actual amount levied to the permitted levy.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 4. new text end

new text begin Safe schools revenue for charter school. new text end

new text begin (a) For fiscal year 2020, safe schools
revenue for a charter school equals $18 times the adjusted pupil units for the school year.
For fiscal year 2021 and later, safe schools revenue for a charter school equals $36 times
the adjusted pupil units for the school year.
new text end

new text begin (b) Safe schools revenue must be reserved and used only for costs associated with safe
schools activities authorized under subdivision 5, paragraph (a), clauses (1) to (9), or for
building lease expenses not funded by charter school building lease aid that are attributable
to facility security enhancements made by the landlord after March 1, 2019.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 5. new text end

new text begin Uses of safe schools revenue. new text end

deleted text begin The proceeds of the levy deleted text end new text begin (a) Safe schools revenue
new text end 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 chemical dependency
counselors to help provide early responses to problems;

(7) to pay for facility security enhancements including laminated glass, public
announcement systems, new text begin interior classroom security enhancements, new text end 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; deleted text begin or
deleted text end

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

new text begin (10) to pay the costs of enhancing cybersecurity in the district's information systems; or
new text end

new text begin (11) by board resolution, to transfer money into the debt redemption fund to pay the
amounts needed to meet, when due, principal and interest payments on obligations issued
under sections 123B.61 and 123B.62 for purposes included in clause 7.
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.

deleted text begin (c) 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
$15 times the adjusted 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.
deleted text end

new text begin EFFECTIVE DATE. new text end

new text begin This section is effective for revenue for fiscal year 2020 and later.
new text end

Sec. 3. new text begin APPROPRIATION.
new text end

new text begin Subdivision 1. new text end

new text begin Commissioner of education. new text end

new text begin The sums indicated in this section are
appropriated from the general fund to the commissioner of education for the specified
purposes.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 2. new text end

new text begin Safe schools revenue. new text end

new text begin For safe schools revenue under Minnesota Statutes,
section 126C.44, subdivision 1:
new text end

	new text begin $ new text end	new text begin ....... new text end	new text begin ..... new text end	new text begin 2020 new text end
	new text begin $ new text end	new text begin ....... new text end	new text begin ..... new text end	new text begin 2021 new text end

new text begin The 2020 appropriation includes $0 for 2019 and $....... for 2020.
new text end

new text begin The 2021 appropriation includes $....... for 2020 and $....... for 2021.
new text end