1997 Minnesota Statutes

     124.2613 First-grade preparedness program. 

    Subdivision 1.    Purpose.  The purposes of the 
 first-grade preparedness program are to ensure that every child 
 has the opportunity before first grade to develop the skills and 
 abilities necessary to read and succeed in school and to reduce 
 the underlying causes that create a need for compensatory 
 revenue. 

    Subd. 2.    Qualifying district.  A school district may 
 receive first-grade preparedness revenue for qualifying school 
 sites if, consistent with subdivision 5, the school board 
 approves a resolution requiring the district to provide services 
 to all children located in a qualifying school site attendance 
 area. 

    Subd. 3.    Qualifying school site.  (a) The 
 commissioner shall rank all school sites with kindergarten 
 programs that do not exclusively serve students under section 
 120.17.  The ranking must be from highest to lowest based on the 
 site's free and reduced lunch count as a percent of the fall 
 enrollment using the preceding October 1 enrollment data.  Once 
 a school site is calculated to be eligible, it remains eligible 
 for the duration of the pilot program.  For each school site, 
 the percentage used to calculate the ranking must be the greater 
 of (1) the percent of the fall kindergarten enrollment receiving 
 free and reduced lunch, or (2) the percent of the total fall 
 enrollment receiving free and reduced lunch.  The list of ranked 
 sites must be separated into the following geographic areas:  
 Minneapolis district, St. Paul district, suburban Twin Cities 
 districts in the seven-county metropolitan area, and school 
 districts in greater Minnesota. 

    (b) The commissioner shall establish a process and 
 timelines to qualify school sites for the next school year.  
 School sites must be qualified in each geographic area from the 
 list of ranked sites until the estimated revenue available for 
 this program has been allocated.  The total estimated revenue 
 must be distributed to qualified school sites in each geographic 
 area as follows:  25 percent for Minneapolis sites, 25 percent 
 for St. Paul sites, 25 percent for suburban Twin Cities sites, 
 and 25 percent for greater Minnesota. 

    Subd. 4.    Program.  A qualifying school site must 
 develop its first-grade preparedness program in collaboration 
 with other providers of school readiness and child development 
 services.  A school site must offer a full-day kindergarten 
 program to participating children who are five years of age or 
 older for the full school day every day, a program for 
 participating children who are four years old, or a combination 
 of both.  The program may offer as an option to families home 
 visits and other practices as appropriate, and may provide such 
 services with the consent of the parent or guardian.  Program 
 providers must ensure that the program supplements existing 
 school readiness and child development programs and complements 
 the services provided with compensatory revenue.  Where 
 possible, individuals receiving assistance under a family 
 assistance plan can meet the work activity requirement of the 
 plan by participating in a first-grade preparedness program as a 
 volunteer. 

    Subd. 5.    Extended day requirements.  The board of a 
 qualifying school district must develop and approve a plan to 
 provide extended day services to serve as many children as 
 possible.  To accept children whose families participate in 
 child care assistance programs under section 119B.03 or 119B.05, 
 and to meet the requirements of section 245A.03, subdivision 2, 
 the board must formally approve the first-grade preparedness 
 program.  All revenue received under subdivision 6 must be 
 allocated to the qualifying school sites within the district. 

    Subd. 6.    Preparedness revenue.  (a) A qualifying 
 school district is eligible for first-grade preparedness revenue 
 equal to the basic formula allowance for that year times the 
 number of children five years of age or older enrolled in a 
 kindergarten program at the site on October 1 of the previous 
 year times .53. 

    (b) This revenue must supplement and not replace 
 compensatory revenue that the district uses for the same or 
 similar purposes under chapter 124A. 

    (c) A pupil enrolled in the first grade preparedness 
 program at a qualifying school site is eligible for 
 transportation under section 123.39, subdivision 1.  

    (d) First grade preparedness revenue paid to a charter 
 school for which a school district is providing transportation 
 according to section 120.064, subdivision 15, shall be decreased 
 by an amount equal to the product of $170 times the pupil units 
 calculated according to paragraph (a).  This amount shall be 
 paid to the school district for transportation costs.  

    Subd. 7.    Evaluation.  The commissioner of children, 
 families, and learning, in consultation with representatives of 
 the state board of teaching, early childhood teachers, 
 elementary school classroom teachers, and teacher educators, 
 shall develop an evaluation for qualifying school sites to use 
 in documenting results.  The evaluation must use empirical and 
 qualitative methods to gather information on the following:  
 progress towards ensuring that every child entering the first 
 grade has the knowledge and skills necessary to succeed in 
 school; student readiness for first grade; an assessment of 
 enrolling students by their teacher; and measures of parental 
 satisfaction and parental involvement.  The commissioner shall 
 assist a school site with its evaluation at the request of the 
 site. 

    Subd. 8.    Expiration.  This section applies for fiscal 
 years 1997, 1998, and 1999, and expires June 30, 1999. 

    HIST: 1996 c 412 art 1 s 11; 1Sp1997 c 4 art 2 s 5-7