1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to education; establishing a minimum number 
  1.3             of days of student instruction; imposing an aid 
  1.4             penalty if school is not held for the required minimum 
  1.5             number of school days; amending Minnesota Statutes 
  1.6             1998, section 120A.41. 
  1.7   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.8      Section 1.  Minnesota Statutes 1998, section 120A.41, is 
  1.9   amended to read: 
  1.10     120A.41 [LENGTH OF SCHOOL YEAR; DAYS OF INSTRUCTION; STATE 
  1.11  AID PENALTY AND EXCEPTIONS.] 
  1.12     (a) For the 1999-2000 school year and later, a school 
  1.13  board's annual school calendar must include at least three 
  1.14  additional 185 days of student instruction beyond the number of 
  1.15  days of student instruction the board formally adopted as its 
  1.16  school calendar at the beginning of the 1996-1997 school year., 
  1.17  not including summer school, or the equivalent of 182 days of 
  1.18  student instruction in a district operating a flexible school 
  1.19  year program.  For grades 1 through 12, days devoted to 
  1.20  parent-teacher conferences, teachers' workshops, or other staff 
  1.21  development opportunities must not exceed seven days and are not 
  1.22  part of the minimum number of student contact days.  Days 
  1.23  devoted to meetings authorized or called by the commissioner are 
  1.24  not part of the required minimum number of student contact 
  1.25  days.  A district that holds school for the required minimum 
  1.26  number of days and is otherwise qualified is entitled to state 
  2.1   aid as provided by law. 
  2.2      (b) A school district that offers fewer than 182 student 
  2.3   contact days is subject to a state aid penalty.  The state aid 
  2.4   penalty equals the product of the general education basic 
  2.5   revenue amount times 60 percent times the ratio of the actual 
  2.6   number of student contact days to 182.  However, a school 
  2.7   district having fewer than 182 student contact days does not 
  2.8   lose state aid if: 
  2.9      (1) the circumstances causing fewer than 182 student 
  2.10  contact days are beyond the school board's control; 
  2.11     (2) proper evidence is submitted; and 
  2.12     (3) a good faith attempt is made to make up school days 
  2.13  lost due to these circumstances. 
  2.14  A loss of days resulting from a lawful employee strike is a 
  2.15  circumstance beyond the control of the school board. 
  2.16     Sec. 2.  [EFFECTIVE DATE.] 
  2.17     Section 1 is effective for the 1999-2000 school year and 
  2.18  thereafter.