1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to education finance; creating a grant 
  1.3             program to fund school district technology needs; 
  1.4             appropriating money. 
  1.5   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.6      Section 1.  [TECHNOLOGY REVENUE.] 
  1.7      Subdivision 1.  [GRANT AMOUNTS.] A school district is 
  1.8   eligible for a technology grant of up to $50,000.  In order to 
  1.9   be eligible for a grant, the district must submit an application 
  1.10  to the commissioner of children, families, and learning by July 
  1.11  1, 2000. 
  1.12     Subd. 2.  [GRANT USES.] A school district may use a 
  1.13  technology grant for any of the following purposes: 
  1.14     (1) teacher support and training; 
  1.15     (2) training of other school district staff; 
  1.16     (3) technical support; or 
  1.17     (4) maintenance of existing equipment. 
  1.18     If a school district can demonstrate to the commissioner 
  1.19  that the purposes of clauses (1) to (4) have been met, then a 
  1.20  district may use its technology grant to update 
  1.21  telecommunications capacity at each site to increase access to 
  1.22  the Internet. 
  1.23     Subd. 3.  [GRANT AWARDS.] The commissioner of children, 
  1.24  families, and learning must prioritize grant applications and 
  1.25  award grants to school districts by September 1, 2000. 
  2.1      Subd. 4.  [TASK FORCE.] The commissioner of children, 
  2.2   families, and learning must convene a task force to examine the 
  2.3   technology capabilities of Minnesota's school districts.  The 
  2.4   task force is composed of the commissioner of children, 
  2.5   families, and learning, two persons appointed by Education 
  2.6   Minnesota, two persons appointed by the Minnesota school boards 
  2.7   association, one elementary school principal appointed by the 
  2.8   Minnesota elementary principal's association, one secondary 
  2.9   principal appointed by the Minnesota association of secondary 
  2.10  school principals, one superintendent appointed by the Minnesota 
  2.11  association of school administrators, one teacher aide appointed 
  2.12  by the commissioner, and one person appointed by the Minnesota 
  2.13  high technology council.  The task force must establish minimum 
  2.14  technology standards for school districts and for school sites.  
  2.15  The task force must report on the current condition of 
  2.16  technology in Minnesota's school districts and also report its 
  2.17  minimum standards for technology to the education committees of 
  2.18  the legislature by February 15, 2001. 
  2.19     Sec. 2.  [APPROPRIATION.] 
  2.20     (a) $....... is appropriated in fiscal year 2001 from the 
  2.21  general fund to the commissioner of children, families, and 
  2.22  learning for payment of technology grants under section 1. 
  2.23     (b) Up to $30,000 of the appropriation in paragraph (a) may 
  2.24  be used by the commissioner for the purpose of section 1, 
  2.25  subdivision 4. 
  2.26     Sec. 3.  [EFFECTIVE DATE.] 
  2.27     Sections 1 and 2 are effective for revenue for fiscal year 
  2.28  2001.