2003 Minnesota Statutes

     124D.081 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 sections 
 125A.03 to 125A.24, and 125A.65.  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, unless the site's ranking falls below the state average 
 for elementary schools.  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 chapters 120B, 123A, 123B, 124D, 126C, 
 and 127A. 

    (c) A pupil enrolled in the first grade preparedness 
 program at a qualifying school site is eligible for 
 transportation under section 123B.88, subdivision 1.  

    (d) First grade preparedness revenue paid to a charter 
 school for which a school district is providing transportation 
 according to section 124D.10, subdivision 16, shall be decreased 
 by an amount equal to the product of the formula allowance 
 according to section 126C.10, subdivision 2, times .0485 times 
 the pupil units calculated according to paragraph (a).  This 
 amount shall be paid to the school district for transportation 
 costs.  

    Subd. 7. Repealed, 1999 c 241 art 2 s 62 

    Subd. 8. Repealed, 1999 c 241 art 2 s 62 

    Subd. 9.    Reserve account.  First grade preparedness 
 revenue must be placed in a reserve account within the general 
 fund and may only be used for first grade preparedness programs 
 at qualifying school sites. 

    HIST: 1996 c 412 art 1 s 11; 1Sp1997 c 4 art 2 s 5-7; 1998 c 
 397 art 11 s 3; 1999 c 241 art 2 s 9; 2000 c 489 art 6 s 17; 
 1Sp2003 c 9 art 2 s 15