HF 2717

as introduced - 94th Legislature (2025 - 2026) Posted on 04/01/2025 12:38pm

A bill for an act
relating to education finance; increasing safe schools revenue; creating a safe
schools aid; expanding safe schools revenue to all cooperative units; appropriating
money; amending Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 126C.44.

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

Section 1.

Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 126C.44, is amended to read:

126C.44 SAFE SCHOOLS REVENUE.

Subdivision 1.

Safe schools revenue for school districts.

new text begin For fiscal year 2025, new text end a school
district's safe schools revenue equals its safe schools levy. new text begin For fiscal year 2026 and later, a
school district's safe schools revenue equals the greater of $100,000 or $44 times the pupil
units for that year.
new text end

Subd. 2.

School district safe schools levy.

A school district's safe schools levy equals
$36 times the district's adjusted pupil units for the school year.

new text begin Subd. 2a. new text end

new text begin Safe schools aid. new text end

new text begin A school district's safe schools aid equals:
new text end

new text begin (1) the difference between its safe schools revenue and its safe schools levy; times
new text end

new text begin (2) the ratio of the district's safe schools levy for that year to the permitted levy for that
year.
new text end

Subd. 3.

Safe schools deleted text begin revenue deleted text end new text begin levy new text end for intermediate school districts new text begin for fiscal years
2025 and 2026 new text end .

new text begin For fiscal years 2025 and 2026, new text end a school district that is a member of an
intermediate school district may include in its levy authority under this section the costs
associated with safe schools activities authorized under this section for intermediate school
district programs. This authority must not exceed the product of $15 and 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 subdivision must be transferred to the
intermediate school district.

new text begin Subd. 3a. new text end

new text begin Safe schools revenue for cooperative units. new text end

new text begin (a) For purposes of this
subdivision, "cooperative unit" has the meaning given under section 123A.24, subdivision
2.
new text end

new text begin (b) For fiscal year 2027 and later, in addition to the revenue amounts in subdivision 1,
the cooperative safe schools revenue for a school district that is a member of a cooperative
unit that enrolls students equals the district's adjusted pupil units for the school year times
$18.
new text end

new text begin (c) For fiscal year 2027 and later, by September 30 of each year, the commissioner of
education shall establish a tax rate for the cooperative units safe schools revenue that raises
$4,354,000 in each fiscal year. The levy authority under this paragraph is in addition to a
district's safe schools levy authority under subdivision 2.
new text end

new text begin (d) For fiscal year 2026 only, the cooperative safe schools aid for a school district that
is a member of a cooperative unit that enrolls students is $3 times the member district pupil
units for that year. For fiscal year 2027 and later, the cooperative safe schools aid for a
school district that is a member of a cooperative unit that enrolls students equals the
difference between (1) its cooperative safe schools revenue less its cooperative safe schools
levy, times (2) the ratio of the actual amount levied to the permitted levy by the member
school districts.
new text end

new text begin (e) Revenue raised under this subdivision must be transferred to the cooperative unit.
new text end

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; or

(10) to pay for the costs of cybersecurity measures, including updating computer hardware
and software, other systems upgrades, and cybersecurity insurance costs.

(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 fiscal year 2026 and later.
new text end

Sec. 2. 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 sum indicated in this section is
appropriated from the general fund to the Department of Education in the fiscal year
designated.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 2. new text end

new text begin Safe schools aid. new text end

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

new text begin $ new text end

new text begin ....... new text end

new text begin ..... new text end

new text begin 2027 new text end