SF 28

as introduced - 91st Legislature, 2020 7th Special Session (2020 - 2020) Posted on 12/15/2020 08:01am

A bill for an act
relating to education finance; extending the application deadline for free or
reduced-price lunch for the fall 2020 count of eligible students; requiring federal
funds replacement; appropriating money.

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

Section 1. new text begin FREE AND REDUCED-PRICE LUNCH APPLICATION DEADLINE;
FALL 2020 COUNT.
new text end

new text begin (a) Notwithstanding any law to the contrary, for purposes of determining the count of
the number of pupils eligible for free or reduced-price lunch on October 1, 2020, under
Minnesota Statutes, section 126C.05, subdivision 16, pupils must be determined eligible
by January 4, 2021.
new text end

new text begin (b) A school district or charter school must report the number of pupils who were enrolled
on October 1, 2020, and who were certified as eligible for free or reduced-price lunch
between December 16, 2020, and the end of the day on January 4, 2021, to the Department
of Education in the form and manner determined by the commissioner of education. By
July 1, 2021, the commissioner must certify the amount of compensatory revenue for the
2021-2022 school year attributable to the pupils determined eligible for free or reduced-price
lunch by school site under this section.
new text end

new text begin EFFECTIVE DATE. new text end

new text begin This section is effective retroactively from October 1, 2020.
new text end

Sec. 2. new text begin FEDERAL FUNDS REPLACEMENT; APPROPRIATION.
new text end

new text begin Subdivision 1. new text end

new text begin Suspension of statutory appropriation. new text end

new text begin The appropriation in Minnesota
Statutes, section 4.07, subdivision 3, does not apply to the portion of any federal funds for
COVID-19 received by the state of Minnesota between the effective date of this act and
June 30, 2023, for which a general fund aid entitlement in this act is an eligible expenditure.
Federal funding for which this section applies shall not be used for any other purpose.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 2. new text end

new text begin General education reduction. new text end

new text begin Notwithstanding Minnesota Statutes, sections
126C.13 and 126C.20, if the state of Minnesota receives federal funds for COVID-19
between the effective date of this act and June 30, 2023, for which section 1 qualifies as an
eligible expenditure, the commissioner must reduce the state total general education aid
entitlement for fiscal year 2022 according to this subdivision. The state total general education
aid must be reduced by an amount up to, but not greater than, the amount of compensatory
revenue certified under section 1. The aid reduction must be allocated among school districts
and charter schools in proportion to the amounts certified by the commissioner under section
1 for the school district or charter school. If federal funds available for appropriation under
this section are not sufficient to replace the entire amount certified under section 1, the
commissioner must reduce the state total general education aid entitlement for fiscal year
2022 only by the amount of the federal funds available for appropriation.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 3. new text end

new text begin Appropriation. new text end

new text begin The commissioner must offset the general education reduction
for each school district and charter school under subdivision 2 with an equal amount of
federal aid. An amount equal to each reduction under subdivision 2 is appropriated from
the federal fund for the original purposes of providing compensatory revenue to school
districts and charter schools. Any appropriation of federal funds under this subdivision is
a onetime appropriation.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 4. new text end

new text begin Expiration. new text end

new text begin This section does not apply to federal funds after the general fund
appropriations in this act have been reduced and federal funds have been appropriated for
the same purpose.
new text end

new text begin EFFECTIVE DATE. new text end

new text begin This section is effective the day following final enactment.
new text end