1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to education finance; providing school 
  1.3             districts additional flexibility for staff development 
  1.4             revenue; amending Minnesota Statutes 2001 Supplement, 
  1.5             section 122A.61, subdivision 1.  
  1.6   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.7      Section 1.  Minnesota Statutes 2001 Supplement, section 
  1.8   122A.61, subdivision 1, is amended to read: 
  1.9      Subdivision 1.  [STAFF DEVELOPMENT REVENUE.] (a) A district 
  1.10  is required to reserve an amount equal to at least two percent 
  1.11  of the basic revenue under section 126C.10, subdivision 2, for 
  1.12  in-service education for programs under section 120B.22, 
  1.13  subdivision 2, for staff development plans, including plans for 
  1.14  challenging instructional activities and experiences under 
  1.15  section 122A.60, and for curriculum development and programs, 
  1.16  other in-service education, teachers' workshops, teacher 
  1.17  conferences, the cost of substitute teachers staff development 
  1.18  purposes, preservice and in-service education for special 
  1.19  education professionals and paraprofessionals, and other related 
  1.20  costs for staff development efforts.  
  1.21     (b) A district may annually waive the requirement to 
  1.22  reserve their basic revenue under this section if a majority 
  1.23  vote of the licensed teachers in the district and a majority 
  1.24  vote of the school board agree to a resolution to waive the 
  1.25  requirement.  A district in statutory operating debt is exempt 
  2.1   from reserving basic revenue according to this section.  A 
  2.2   district with a decrease in its net unappropriated operating 
  2.3   fund balance between the second previous fiscal year and the 
  2.4   previous fiscal year may limit its reserve of basic revenue 
  2.5   under paragraph (a) to one percent.  Districts may expend an 
  2.6   additional amount of unreserved revenue for staff development 
  2.7   based on their needs.  
  2.8      (c) With the exception of amounts reserved for staff 
  2.9   development from revenues allocated directly to school sites, 
  2.10  the board must initially allocate 50 percent of the reserved 
  2.11  revenue to each school site in the district on a per teacher 
  2.12  basis, which must be retained by the school site until used.  
  2.13  The board may retain 25 percent to be used for district wide 
  2.14  staff development efforts.  The remaining 25 percent of the 
  2.15  revenue must be used to make grants to school sites for best 
  2.16  practices methods.  
  2.17     (d) A grant may be used for any purpose authorized under 
  2.18  section 120B.22, subdivision 2, 122A.60, or for the costs of 
  2.19  curriculum development and programs, other in-service education, 
  2.20  teachers' workshops, teacher conferences, substitute teachers 
  2.21  for staff development purposes, and other staff development 
  2.22  efforts, and determined by the site professional development 
  2.23  team.  The site professional development team must demonstrate 
  2.24  to the school board the extent to which staff at the site have 
  2.25  met the outcomes of the program.  The board may withhold a 
  2.26  portion of initial allocation of revenue if the staff 
  2.27  development outcomes are not being met. 
  2.28     <b>[EFFECTIVE DATE.]</b> This section is effective for revenue for 
  2.29  fiscal year 2003.