Subd. 12.

Legitimate exemptions.

(a) A parent, guardian, or other person having control of a child may apply to a school district to have the child excused from attendance for the whole or any part of the time school is in session during any school year. Application may be made to deleted text begin any member of the board,deleted text end a truant officerdeleted text begin , adeleted text end new text begin or the school official designated by thenew text end principaldeleted text begin , or the superintendentdeleted text end . The school district may state in its school attendance policy that it may ask the student's parent or legal guardian to verify in writing the reason for the child's absence from school. A note from a physician or a licensed mental health professional stating that the child cannot attend school is a valid excuse. The board of the district in which the child resides may approve the application upon the following being demonstrated to the satisfaction of that board:

(1) that the child's physical or mental health is such as to prevent attendance at school or application to study for the period required, which includes:

(i) child illness, medical, dental, orthodontic, or counseling appointments, including appointments conducted through telehealth;

(ii) family emergencies;

(iii) the death or serious illness or funeral of an immediate family member;

(iv) active duty in any military branch of the United States;

(v) the child has a condition that requires ongoing treatment for a mental health diagnosis; or

(vi) other exemptions included in the district's school attendance policy;

(2) that the child has already completed state and district standards required for graduation from high school; or

(3) that it is the wish of the parent, guardian, or other person having control of the child that the child attend, for a period or periods not exceeding in the aggregate three hours in any week, instruction conducted by a Tribal spiritual or cultural advisor, or a school for religious instruction conducted and maintained by a church, or association of churches, or any Sunday school association incorporated under the laws of this state, or any auxiliary thereof. This instruction must be conducted and maintained in a place other than a public school building, and it must not, in whole or in part, be conducted and maintained at public expense. A child may be absent from school on days that the child attends upon instruction according to this clause.

(b) Notwithstanding subdivision 6, paragraph (a), a parent may withdraw a child from an all-day, every day kindergarten program and put their child in a half-day program, if offered, or an alternate-day program without being truant. A school board must excuse a kindergarten child from a part of a school day at the request of the child's parent.

Subd. 13.

deleted text begin Issuing anddeleted text end Reporting deleted text begin excusesdeleted text end new text begin attendancenew text end .

new text begin (a) A district must count a student as in attendance on each day the student receives supervision, instruction, or services from school staff during scheduled school hours. Nothing in this section removes district responsibility to continue to comply with reporting requirements in section 126C.05 for the purposes of funding. new text end

new text begin (b) new text end The deleted text begin clerk or any authorized officer of the boarddeleted text end new text begin principalnew text end must issue and keep a record of deleted text begin such excusesdeleted text end new text begin attendancenew text end , under deleted text begin such rules as the board may from time to time establishdeleted text end new text begin rules established by the boardnew text end .

Subd. 4.

Reports to the statenew text begin or countynew text end .

new text begin (a) new text end A superintendent must make an annual report to the commissioner of education by December 1 of the total number of nonpublic children reported as residing in the district. The report must include the following information:

(1) the number of children residing in the district attending nonpublic schools or receiving instruction from persons or institutions other than a public school;

(2) the number of children in clause (1) who are in compliance with section 120A.22 and this section; and

(3) the number of children in clause (1) who the superintendent has determined are not in compliance with section 120A.22 and this section.

new text begin (b) No later than 15 school days after the beginning of each academic term, a school principal must report to the superintendent a list of names and last known addresses of all students who were enrolled in the school for the previous term, are not enrolled in the school for the current term, and were otherwise eligible for enrollment, unless the school has been notified that the student has enrolled in another school. The superintendent must immediately make the list received from the principal available to an authorized representative of a county agency whose statutory purpose is to enroll students in school. new text end

new text begin (c) A school district must notify the local welfare agency of any student dropped from the school's roll under section 126C.05, subdivision 8, paragraph (a), for unexcused absences exceeding 15 consecutive school days. The notice to the local welfare agency must include the student's most recent contact information on file with the school. The school must also send an email, letter, or otherwise contact the student's family to encourage the student to reenroll in the school's programming. new text end

new text begin (d) After receiving notification under paragraph (c), the local welfare agency must inform the school if the agency is unable to contact the student or student's family. If the local welfare agency is unable to contact the student or student's family, the district must notify the Department of Education that the student has been dropped from the school's roll, and that the local welfare agency is unable to contact the student or student's family. The notice to the department must include the student's most recent contact information on file with the school. new text end

Subd. 2.

Aid.

(a) Consolidation transition aid is equal to deleted text begin $200deleted text end new text begin $424new text end times the number of resident pupil units in the newly created district in the year of consolidation and deleted text begin $100deleted text end new text begin $212new text end times the number of resident pupil units in the first year following the year of consolidation. The number of pupil units used to calculate aid in either year shall not exceed deleted text begin 1,000 for districts consolidating July 1, 1994, anddeleted text end 1,500 deleted text begin for districts consolidating July 1, 1995, and thereafterdeleted text end .

(b) If the total appropriation for consolidation transition aid for any fiscal year, plus any amount transferred under section 127A.41, subdivision 8, is insufficient to pay all districts the full amount of aid earned, the department must first pay the districts in the first year following the year of consolidation the full amount of aid earned and distribute any remaining funds to the newly created districts in the first year of consolidation.

Subd. 2.

Dissolution; referendum revenue.

As of the effective date of the voluntary or involuntary dissolution of a district and its attachment to one or more existing districts pursuant to sections 123A.60 or 123A.64 to 123A.72, the authorization for any referendum revenue previously deleted text begin approved by the voters ofdeleted text end new text begin authorized fornew text end the dissolved district in that district pursuant to section 126C.17, deleted text begin subdivision 9deleted text end deleted text begin ,deleted text end or its predecessor or successor provision, is canceled. The authorization for any referendum revenue previously deleted text begin approved by the voters ofdeleted text end new text begin authorized fornew text end a district to which all or part of the dissolved district is attached shall not be affected by the attachment and shall apply to the entire area of the district as enlarged by the attachment.

Subd. 4.

Consolidation; maximum authorized referendum revenues.

(a) As of the effective date of a consolidation pursuant to section 123A.48, if the plan for consolidation so provides, or if the plan for consolidation makes no provision concerning referendum revenues, the authorization for all referendum revenues previously deleted text begin approved by the votersdeleted text end deleted text begin ofdeleted text end new text begin authorized fornew text end all affected districts for those districts pursuant to section 126C.17, deleted text begin subdivision 9deleted text end deleted text begin ,deleted text end or its predecessor provision shall be recalculated as provided in this subdivision. The referendum revenue authorization for the newly created district shall be the revenue per adjusted pupil unit that would raise an amount equal to the combined dollar amount of the referendum revenues authorized by each of the component districts for the year preceding the consolidation, unless the referendum revenue authorization of the newly created district is subsequently modified pursuant to section 126C.17, subdivision 9.

(b) The referendum allowance for a consolidated district in the years following consolidation equals the average of the consolidating districts' existing authorities for those years, weighted by the districts' adjusted pupil units in the year preceding consolidation. For purposes of this calculation, the referendum authorities used for individual districts shall not decrease from year to year until such time as all existing authorities for all the consolidating districts have fully expired, but shall increase if they were originally approved with consumer price index-based or other annual increases.

(c) The referendum revenue authorization for the newly created district shall continue for a period of time equal to the longest period authorized for any component district.new text begin The referendum revenue authorization for the newly created district may be renewed by the school board of the newly created district pursuant to section 126C.17, subdivision 9b, for a term not to exceed the longest period authorized for any component district. new text end

Subd. 5.

Alternative method.

(a) As of the effective date of a consolidation pursuant to section 123A.48, if the plan for consolidation so provides, the authorization for all referendum revenues previously deleted text begin approved by the voters ofdeleted text end new text begin authorized fornew text end all affected districts for those districts pursuant to section 126C.17, deleted text begin subdivision 9deleted text end deleted text begin ,deleted text end or its predecessor provision shall be combined as provided in this subdivision. The referendum revenue authorization for the newly created district may be any allowance per adjusted pupil unit provided in the plan for consolidation, but may not exceed the allowance per adjusted pupil unit that would raise an amount equal to the combined dollar amount of the referendum revenues authorized by each of the component districts for the year preceding the consolidation.

(b) The referendum allowance for a consolidated district in the years following consolidation equals the average of the consolidating districts' existing authorities for those years, weighted by the districts' adjusted pupil units in the year preceding consolidation. For purposes of this calculation, the referendum authorities used for individual districts shall not decrease from year to year until such time as all existing authorities for all the consolidating districts have fully expired, but shall increase if they were originally approved with consumer price index-based or other annual increases.

(c) The referendum revenue authorization for the newly created district shall continue for a period of time equal to the longest period authorized for any component district. The referendum revenue authorization for the newly created district may be modified pursuant to section 126C.17, subdivision 9.new text begin The referendum revenue authorization for the newly created district may be renewed by the school board of the newly created district pursuant to section 126C.17, subdivision 9b, for a term not to exceed the longest period authorized for any component district. new text end

Subd. 6.

Discontinued referendum revenue.

If the plan for consolidation provides for discontinuance of referendum revenue previously deleted text begin approved by voters ofdeleted text end new text begin authorized fornew text end the component districts pursuant to section 126C.17, deleted text begin subdivision 9deleted text end deleted text begin ,deleted text end or its predecessor provision, the newly created district must not receive referendum revenue unless the voters of the newly created district authorize referendum revenue pursuant to section 126C.17, subdivision 9.

Subd. 5.

Authorization; notification.

(a) Notwithstanding any other law to the contrary, an 11th or 12th grade pupil enrolled in a new text begin school district, a charter new text end schoolnew text begin ,new text end or an American Indian-controlled Tribal contract or grant school eligible for aid under section 124D.83, except a foreign exchange pupil enrolled in a district under a cultural exchange program, may apply to an eligible institution, as defined in subdivision 3, to enroll in nonsectarian courses offered by that postsecondary institution.

(b) If an institution accepts a secondary pupil for enrollment under this section, the institution shall send written notice to the pupil, the pupil's school or school district, and the commissioner. The notice must indicate the course and hours of enrollment of that pupil. The institution must notify the pupil's school as soon as practicable if the pupil withdraws from the enrolled course. The institution must also notify the pupil's school as soon as practicable if the pupil has been absent from a course for ten consecutive days on which classes are held, based upon the postsecondary institution's academic calendar, and the pupil is not receiving instruction in their home or hospital or other facility.

(c) If the pupil enrolls in a course for postsecondary credit, the institution must notifynew text begin :new text end

new text begin (1)new text end the pupil about payment in the customary manner used by the institutiondeleted text begin .deleted text end new text begin ; andnew text end

new text begin (2) the pupil's school as soon as practicable if the pupil withdraws from the course or stops attending the course. new text end

Subd. 5a.

Authorization; career or technical education.

A 10th, 11th, or 12th grade pupil enrolled in a new text begin school new text end districtnew text begin , a charter school,new text end or an American Indian-controlled tribal contract or grant school eligible for aid under section 124D.83, except a foreign exchange pupil enrolled in a district under a cultural exchange program, may enroll in a career or technical education course offered by a Minnesota state college or university. A 10th grade pupil applying for enrollment in a career or technical education course under this subdivision must have received a passing score on the 8th grade Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment in reading as a condition of enrollment. A current 10th grade pupil who did not take the 8th grade Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment in reading may substitute another reading assessment accepted by the enrolling postsecondary institution. A secondary pupil may enroll in the pupil's first postsecondary options enrollment course under this subdivision. A student who is refused enrollment by a Minnesota state college or university under this subdivision may apply to an eligible institution offering a career or technical education course. The postsecondary institution must give priority to its students according to subdivision 9. If a secondary student receives a grade of "C" or better in the career or technical education course taken under this subdivision, the postsecondary institution must allow the student to take additional postsecondary courses for secondary credit at that institution, not to exceed the limits in subdivision 8. A "career or technical course" is a course that is part of a career and technical education program that provides individuals with coherent, rigorous content aligned with academic standards and relevant technical knowledge and skills needed to prepare for further education and careers in current and emerging professions and provide technical skill proficiency, an industry recognized credential, and a certificate, a diploma, or an associate degree.

Subd. 5b.

Authorization; 9th or 10th grade pupil.

Notwithstanding any other law to the contrary, a 9th or 10th grade pupil enrolled in a new text begin school new text end districtnew text begin , a charter school,new text end or an American Indian-controlled Tribal contract or grant school eligible for aid under section 124D.83, except a foreign exchange pupil enrolled in a district under a cultural exchange program, may apply to enroll in nonsectarian courses offered under subdivision 10, if:

(1) the new text begin school district, charter school, or Tribal contract new text end school deleted text begin districtdeleted text end and the eligible postsecondary institution providing the course agree to the student's enrollment; or

(2) the course is a world language course currently available to 11th and 12th grade students, and consistent with section 120B.022 governing world language standards, certificates, and seals.

Subd. 9.

Enrollment priority.

(a) A postsecondary institution must give priority to its postsecondary students when enrolling pupils in grades 10, 11, and 12 in its courses. A postsecondary institution may provide information about its programs to a secondary school or to a pupil or parent and it may advertise or otherwise recruit or solicit a secondary pupil to enroll in its programs on educational and programmatic grounds only deleted text begin except, notwithstanding other law to the contrary, and for the 2014-2015 through 2019-2020 school years only, an eligible postsecondary institution may advertise or otherwise recruit or solicit a secondary pupil residing in a school district with 700 students or more in grades 10, 11, and 12, to enroll in its programs on educational, programmatic, or financial groundsdeleted text end .

(b) An institution must not enroll secondary pupils, for postsecondary enrollment options purposes, in remedial, developmental, or other courses that are not college level except when a student eligible to participate and enrolled in the graduation incentives program under section 124D.68 enrolls full time in a middle or early college program. A middle or early college program must be specifically designed to allow the student to earn dual high school and college credit with a well-defined pathway to allow the student to earn a postsecondary degree or credential. In this case, the student must receive developmental college credit and not college credit for completing remedial or developmental courses.

(c) Once a pupil has been enrolled in any postsecondary course under this section, the pupil must not be displaced by another student.

(d) If a postsecondary institution enrolls a secondary school pupil in a course under this section, the postsecondary institution also must enroll in the same course an otherwise enrolled and qualified postsecondary student who qualifies as a veteran under section 197.447, and demonstrates to the postsecondary institution's satisfaction that the institution's established enrollment timelines were not practicable for that student.

(e) A postsecondary institution must allow secondary pupils to enroll in online courses under this section consistent with the institution's policy regarding postsecondary pupil enrollment in online courses.

Subd. 10.

Courses according to agreements.

(a) An eligible pupil, according to subdivision 5, may enroll in a nonsectarian course taught by a secondary teacher or a postsecondary faculty member and offered at a secondary new text begin school, charter school, Tribal contract new text end school, or another location, according to an agreement between a public school boardnew text begin , board of directors, or Tribal contract schoolnew text end and the governing body of an eligible public postsecondary system or an eligible private postsecondary institution, as defined in subdivision 3. All provisions of this section apply to a pupil, public school board, new text begin board of directors, Tribal council, new text end district, new text begin charter school, Tribal contract school, new text end and the governing body of a postsecondary institution, except as otherwise provided. A secondary school and a postsecondary institution that enrolls eligible pupils in courses according to agreements must annually report to the commissioner the participation rates of pupils enrolled in courses according to agreements, including the number of pupils enrolled and the number of courses taken for postsecondary or dual credit.

(b) To encourage students, especially American Indian students and students of color, to consider teaching as a profession, participating deleted text begin schools,deleted text end school districts,new text begin charter schools, Tribal contract schools,new text end and postsecondary institutions are encouraged to develop and offer an "Introduction to Teaching" or "Introduction to Education" course under this subdivision. For the purpose of applying for grants under this paragraph, "eligible institution" includes deleted text begin schools anddeleted text end new text begin school new text end districtsnew text begin , charter schools, or Tribal contract schoolsnew text end that partner with an accredited college or university in addition to postsecondary institutions identified in subdivision 3, paragraph (a). Grant recipients under this paragraph must annually report to the commissioner in a form and manner determined by the commissioner on the participation rates of students in courses under this paragraph, including the number of students who apply for admission to colleges or universities with teacher preparation programs and the number of students of color and American Indian students who earned postsecondary credit. Grant recipients must also describe recruiting efforts intended to ensure that the percentage of participating students who are of color or American Indian meets or exceeds the overall percentage of students of color or American Indian students in the school.

Subdivision 1.

Definitions.

(a) For purposes of this section, the following terms have the meanings given.

(b) "Blended instruction" means a form of digital instruction that occurs when a student learns part time in a supervised physical setting and part time through online instruction under paragraph (f).

(c) "Digital instruction" means instruction facilitated by technology that offers students an element of control over the time, place, path, or pace of learning and includes blended and online instruction.

(d) "Enrolling district" means the school district or charter school in which a student is enrolled under section deleted text begin 120A.22, subdivision 4deleted text end new text begin 120A.05, subdivision 8, or chapter 124Enew text end .

(e) "Online course syllabus" means a written document that identifies the state academic standards taught and assessed in a supplemental online course under paragraph (j); course content outline; required course assessments; instructional methods; communication procedures with students, guardians, and the enrolling district under paragraph (d); and supports available to the student.

(f) "Online instruction" means a form of digital instruction that occurs when a student learns primarily through digital technology away from a supervised physical setting.

(g) "Online instructional site" means a site that offers courses using online instruction under paragraph (f) and may enroll students receiving online instruction under paragraph (f).

(h) "Online teacher" means an employee of the enrolling district under paragraph (d) or the supplemental online course provider under paragraph (k) who holds the appropriate licensure under Minnesota Rules, chapter 8710, and is trained to provide online instruction under paragraph (f).

(i) "Student" means a Minnesota resident enrolled in a school defined under section 120A.22, subdivision 4, in kindergarten through grade 12 up to the age of 21.

(j) "Supplemental online course" means an online learning course taken in place of a course provided by the student's enrolling district under paragraph (d).

(k) "Supplemental online course provider" means a school district, an intermediate school district, new text begin a state-operated school, new text end an organization of two or more school districts operating under a joint powers agreement, or a charter school located in Minnesota that is authorized by the Department of Education to provide supplemental online courses under paragraph (j).

Subdivision 1.

Revenue calculation.

(a) General education revenue must be paid to a charter school as though it were a district. The general education revenue for each adjusted pupil unit is the state average general education revenue per pupil unit, plus the referendum equalization aid allowance and first tier local optional aid allowance in the pupil's district of residence, minus an amount equal to the product of the formula allowance according to section 126C.10, subdivision 2, times .0466, calculated without declining enrollment revenue, local optional revenue, basic skills revenue, extended time revenue, pension adjustment revenue, transition revenue, and transportation sparsity revenue, plus declining enrollment revenue, basic skills revenue, pension adjustment revenue, and transition revenue as though the school were a school district.

(b) For a charter school operating an extended day, extended week, or summer program, the general education revenue in paragraph (a) is increased by an amount equal to 25 percent of the statewide average extended time revenue per adjusted pupil unit.

(c) Notwithstanding paragraph (a), the general education revenue for an eligible special education charter school as defined in section 124E.21, subdivision 2, equals the sum of the amount determined under paragraph (a) and the school's unreimbursed cost as defined in section 124E.21, subdivision 2, for educating students not eligible for special education services.

new text begin (d) A charter school's general education revenue under paragraphs (a) to (c) is increased by $132 times the adjusted pupil units for that fiscal year. new text end

Subd. 3.

Compensation revenue pupil units.

Compensation revenue pupil units must be computed according to this subdivision.

(a) The compensation revenue concentration percentage for each building in a district equals the product of 100 times the ratio of:

(1) the sum of the number of pupils enrolled in the building eligible to receive free meals plus one-half of the pupils eligible to receive reduced-priced meals on October 1 of the previous fiscal year; to

(2) the number of pupils enrolled in the building on October 1 of the previous fiscal year.

(b) The compensation revenue pupil weighting factor for a building equals the lesser of one or the quotient obtained by dividing the building's compensation revenue concentration percentage by 80.0.

(c) The compensation revenue pupil units for a building equals the product of:

(1) the sum of the number of pupils enrolled in the building eligible to receive free meals and one-half of the pupils eligible to receive reduced-priced meals on October 1 of the previous fiscal year; times

(2) the compensation revenue pupil weighting factor for the building; times

(3) .60.

(d) Notwithstanding paragraphs (a) to (c), for voluntary prekindergarten programs under section 142D.08, charter schools, and contracted alternative programs in the first year of operation, compensation revenue pupil units shall be computed using data for the current fiscal year. If the voluntary prekindergarten program, charter school, or contracted alternative program begins operation after October 1, compensatory revenue pupil units shall be computed based on pupils enrolled on an alternate date determined by the commissioner, and the compensation revenue pupil units shall be prorated based on the ratio of the number of days of student instruction to 170 days.

(e) The percentages in this subdivision must be based on the count of individual pupils and not on a building average or minimum.

(f) Notwithstanding paragraphs (a) to (e), for revenue in fiscal year 2025 only, the compensation revenue pupil units for each building in a district equals the greater of the building's actual compensation revenue pupil units computed according to paragraphs (a) to (e) for revenue in fiscal year 2025, or the building's actual compensation revenue pupil units computed according to paragraphs (a) to (e) for revenue in fiscal year 2024.

new text begin (g) Notwithstanding paragraphs (a) to (e), for revenue in fiscal year 2026 only, the compensation revenue pupil units for each building in a district equals the greater of the building's actual compensation revenue pupil units computed according to paragraphs (a) to (e) for revenue in fiscal year 2026, or the building's actual compensation revenue pupil units computed according to paragraphs (a) to (e) for revenue in fiscal year 2024. new text end

Subd. 3.

Compensatory education revenue.

(a) A district's compensatory revenue equals the sum of its compensatory revenue for each building in the district and the amounts designated under Laws 2015, First Special Session chapter 3, article 2, section 70, subdivision 8, for fiscal year 2017. Revenue shall be paid to the district and must be allocated according to section 126C.15, subdivision 2.

(b) For fiscal years 2024 deleted text begin anddeleted text end new text begin ,new text end 2025,new text begin and 2026,new text end the compensatory education revenue for each building in the district equals the formula allowance minus $839 times the compensation revenue pupil units computed according to section 126C.05, subdivision 3.

(c) For fiscal year deleted text begin 2026deleted text end new text begin 2027new text end and later, the compensatory education revenue for each building in the district equals its compensatory pupils multiplied by the building compensatory allowance.

(d) When the district contracting with an alternative program under section 124D.69 changes prior to the start of a school year, the compensatory revenue generated by pupils attending the program shall be paid to the district contracting with the alternative program for the current school year, and shall not be paid to the district contracting with the alternative program for the prior school year.

(e) When the fiscal agent district for an area learning center changes prior to the start of a school year, the compensatory revenue shall be paid to the fiscal agent district for the current school year, and shall not be paid to the fiscal agent district for the prior school year.

(f) Notwithstanding paragraph (c), for fiscal year 2026, if the sum of the amounts calculated under paragraph (c) is less than $838,947,000, the commissioner must proportionately increase the revenue to each building until the total statewide revenue calculated for each building equals $838,947,000.

(g) Notwithstanding paragraph (c), for fiscal year 2027 and later, if the sum of the amounts calculated under paragraph (c) is less than $857,152,000, the commissioner must proportionately increase the revenue to each building until the total statewide revenue calculated for each building equals $857,152,000.

Subd. 3c.

Statewide compensatory allowance.

For fiscal year deleted text begin 2026deleted text end new text begin 2027new text end , the statewide compensatory allowance is deleted text begin $6,734deleted text end new text begin $6,936new text end . For fiscal year deleted text begin 2027deleted text end new text begin 2028new text end and later, the statewide compensatory allowance equals the statewide compensatory allowance in effect for the prior fiscal year times the ratio of the formula allowance under section 126C.10, subdivision 2, for the current fiscal year to the formula allowance under section 126C.10, subdivision 2, for the prior fiscal year, rounded to the nearest whole dollar.

Subd. 2.

Building allocation.

(a) A district or cooperative must allocate at least 80 percent of its compensatory revenue to each school building in the district or cooperative where the children who have generated the revenue are served unless the school district or cooperative has received permission under Laws 2005, First Special Session chapter 5, article 1, section 50, to allocate compensatory revenue according to student performance measures developed by the school board.

(b) A district or cooperative may allocate no more than 20 percent of the amount of compensatory revenue that the district receives to school sites according to a plan adopted by the school board. The money reallocated under this paragraph must be spent for the purposes listed in subdivision 1, but may be spent on students in any grade, including students attending school readiness or other prekindergarten programs.

(c) For the purposes of this section and section 126C.05, subdivision 3, "building" means education site as defined in section 123B.04, subdivision 1.

(d) Notwithstanding section 123A.26, subdivision 1, compensatory revenue generated by students served at a cooperative unit shall be paid to the cooperative unit.

(e) A district or cooperative with school building openings, school building closings, changes in attendance area boundaries, or other changes in programs or student demographics between the prior year and the current year may reallocate compensatory revenue among sites to reflect these changes. A district or cooperative must report to the department any adjustments it makes according to this paragraph and the department must use the adjusted compensatory revenue allocations in preparing the report required under section 123B.76, subdivision 3, paragraph (c).

new text begin (f) For fiscal years 2026 and 2027 only, notwithstanding the percentages specified in paragraphs (a) and (b), a district may allocate up to 40 percent of the amount of compensatory revenue that the district receives to school sites according to a plan adopted by the school board, consistent with the purposes listed in subdivision 1. new text end

Subd. 9b.

Renewal by school board.

(a) Notwithstanding the election requirements of subdivision 9, a school board may renew an expiring referendumnew text begin , including an expiring referendum that was approved or adopted under section 123A.73, subdivision 4 or 5,new text end by board action if:

(1) the per pupil amount of the referendum is the same as the amount expiring, or for an expiring referendum that was adjusted annually by the rate of inflation, the same as the per pupil amount of the expiring referendum, adjusted annually for inflation in the same manner as if the expiring referendum had continued;

(2) the term of the renewed referendum is no longer than the initial term approved by the votersnew text begin , except as provided under section 123A.73, subdivision 4 or 5new text end ;

(3) the school board, having taken a recorded vote, has adopted a written resolution authorizing the renewal after holding a meeting and allowing public testimony on the proposed renewal; and

(4) the expiring referendum has not been previously renewed under this subdivision.

(b) The resolution must be adopted by the school board deleted text begin bydeleted text end new text begin on or after July 1 of the second fiscal year prior to the fiscal year in which the referendum expires, but no later thannew text end June 15 of deleted text begin any calendar year anddeleted text end new text begin the fiscal year prior to the fiscal year in which the referendum expires. The resolutionnew text end becomes effective 60 days after its adoption.

(c) A referendum expires in the last fiscal year in which the referendum generates revenue for the school district. deleted text begin A school board may renew an expiring referendum under this subdivision not more than two fiscal years before the referendum expires.deleted text end

(d) A district renewing an expiring referendum under this subdivision must submit a copy of the adopted resolution to the commissioner and to the county auditor no later than deleted text begin September 1deleted text end new text begin August 15new text end of the deleted text begin calendar year in which the written resolution is adopteddeleted text end new text begin fiscal year in which the referendum expiresnew text end .

Subd. 7.

Alternative attendance programs.

(a) The general education aid and special education aid for districts must be adjusted for each pupil attending a nonresident district under sections 123A.05 to 123A.08, 124D.03, 124D.08, and 124D.68. The adjustments must be made according to this subdivision.

(b) For purposes of this subdivision, the "unreimbursed cost of providing special education and services" means the difference between: (1) the actual cost of providing special instruction and services, including special transportation and unreimbursed building lease and debt service costs for facilities used primarily for special education, for a pupil with a disability, as defined in section 125A.02, or a pupil, as defined in section 125A.51, who is enrolled in a program listed in this subdivision, minus (2) if the pupil receives special instruction and services outside the regular classroom for more than 60 percent of the school day, the amount of general education revenue, excluding local optional revenue, plus local optional aid and referendum equalization aid as defined in section 125A.11, subdivision 1, paragraph (d), attributable to that pupil for the portion of time the pupil receives special instruction and services outside of the regular classroom, excluding portions attributable to district and school administration, district support services, operations and maintenance, capital expenditures, and pupil transportation, minus (3) special education aid under section 125A.76, excluding cross subsidy reduction aid under section 125A.76, subdivision 2e, attributable to that pupil, that is received by the district providing special instruction and services. For purposes of this paragraph, general education revenue and referendum equalization aid attributable to a pupil must be calculated using the serving district's average general education revenue and referendum equalization aid per adjusted pupil unit.

(c) For fiscal year 2020, special education aid paid to a resident district must be reduced by an amount equal to 85 percent of the unreimbursed cost of providing special education and services. For fiscal year 2021 and later, special education aid paid to a resident district must be reduced by an amount equal to 80 percent of the unreimbursed cost of providing special education and services.

(d) Notwithstanding paragraph (c), special education aid paid to a resident district must be reduced by an amount equal to 100 percent of the unreimbursed cost of special education and services provided to students at an intermediate district, cooperative, or charter school where the percent of students eligible for special education services is at least 70 percent of the charter school's total enrollment.

(e) Notwithstanding paragraph (c), special education aid paid to a resident district must be reduced under paragraph (d) for students at a charter school receiving special education aid under section 124E.21, subdivision 3, calculated as if the charter school received special education aid under section 124E.21, subdivision 1.

(f) Special education aid paid to the district or cooperative providing special instruction and services for the pupil, or to the fiscal agent district for a cooperative, must be increased by the amount of the reduction in the aid paid to the resident district under paragraphs (c) and (d). If the resident district's special education aid is insufficient to make the full adjustment under paragraphs (c), (d), and (e), the remaining adjustment shall be made to other state aids due to the district.

(g) Notwithstanding paragraph (a), general education aid paid to the resident district of a nonspecial education student for whom an eligible special education charter school receives general education aid under section 124E.20, subdivision 1, paragraph (c), must be reduced by an amount equal to the difference between the general education aid attributable to the student under section 124E.20, subdivision 1, paragraph (c), and the general education aid that the student would have generated for the charter school under section 124E.20, subdivision 1, paragraph (a). For purposes of this paragraph, "nonspecial education student" means a student who does not meet the definition of pupil with a disability as defined in section 125A.02 or the definition of a pupil in section 125A.51.

(h) An area learning center operated by a service cooperative, intermediate district, education district, or a joint powers cooperative may elect through the action of the constituent boards to charge the resident district tuition for pupils rather than to have the general education revenue paid to a fiscal agent school district. Except as provided in paragraph (f), the district of residence must pay tuition equal to deleted text begin at least 90 and no more thandeleted text end 100 percent of the district average general education revenue per pupil unit minus an amount equal to the product of the formula allowance according to section 126C.10, subdivision 2, times .0466, calculated without compensatory revenue, local optional revenue, and transportation sparsity revenue, times the number of pupil units for pupils attending the area learning center.

Subd. 2.

Application and review process; funding priority.

(a) Charter schools and school districts in which eligible schools under subdivision 1 are located may apply to the commissioner, in the form and manner the commissioner determines, for competitive funding to further raise students' academic achievement. The application must detail the specific efforts the applicant intends to undertake in further raising students' academic achievement, consistent with subdivision 1, and a proposed budget detailing the district or charter school's current and proposed expenditures for advanced placement, preadvanced placement, and international baccalaureate courses and programs. The proposed budget must demonstrate that the applicant's efforts will support implementation of advanced placement, preadvanced placement, and international baccalaureate courses and programs. Expenditures for administration must not exceed five percent of the proposed budget. Priority for advanced placement grants must be given to grantees who add or expand offerings of advanced placement computer science principles. The commissioner may require an applicant to provide additional information.

(b) When reviewing applications, the commissioner must determine whether the applicant satisfied all the requirements in this subdivision and subdivision 1. The commissioner may give funding priority to an otherwise qualified applicant that demonstrates:

(1) a focus on developing or expanding preadvanced placement, advanced placement, or international baccalaureate courses or programs or increasing students' participation in, access to, or success with the courses or programs, including the participation, access, or success of low-income and other disadvantaged students;

(2) a compelling need for access to preadvanced placement, advanced placement, or international baccalaureate courses or programs;

(3) an effective ability to actively involve local business and community organizations in student activities that are integral to preadvanced placement, advanced placement, or international baccalaureate courses or programs;

(4) access to additional public or nonpublic funds or in-kind contributions that are available for preadvanced placement, advanced placement, or international baccalaureate courses or programs;

(5) an intent to implement activities that target low-income and other disadvantaged students; deleted text begin ordeleted text end

(6) an intent to increase the advanced placement and international baccalaureate course offerings in science, technology, engineering, and math to low-income and other disadvantaged studentsdeleted text begin .deleted text end new text begin ; ornew text end

new text begin (7) adoption of a policy providing for automatic enrollment in preadvanced placement, advanced placement, or international baccalaureate programs for students that meet locally adopted eligibility criteria. new text end

Subdivision 1.

Model program.

The commissioner of education, in consultation with the commissioners of health and human services, local district and school health education specialists, and other qualified experts, shall identify one or more model programs that may be used to educate middle school and high school students on the health effects on children and adolescents of cannabis use and substance use, including but not limited to the use of fentanyl or mixtures containing fentanyl, consistent with local standards as required in section 120B.021, subdivision 1, paragraph (a), clause (6), for elementary and secondary school students. The commissioner must publish a list of model programs that include written materials, resources, and training for instructors by June 1, 2025. A model program identified by the commissioner must be medically accurate, age and developmentally appropriate, culturally inclusive, and grounded in science, and must address:

(1) the physical and mental health effects of cannabis use and substance use by children, adolescents, and persons under 25 years of age, including effects on the developing brains of children, adolescents, and persons under 25 years of age;

(2) unsafe or unhealthy behaviors associated with cannabis use and substance use;

(3) signs of substance use disorders;

(4) treatment options; deleted text begin anddeleted text end

(5) healthy coping strategies for children and adolescentsdeleted text begin .deleted text end new text begin ; andnew text end

new text begin (6) overdose recognition, prevention, and response. new text end

Subdivision 1.

Violence prevention curriculum.

(a) The commissioner of education, in consultation with the commissioners of health and human services, state minority councils, battered women's and domestic abuse programs, battered women's shelters, sexual assault centers, representatives of religious communities, and the assistant commissioner of the Office of Drug Policy and Violence Prevention, shall assist districts on request in developing or implementing a violence prevention program for students in kindergarten to grade 12 that can be integrated into existing curriculum. The purpose of the program is to help students learn how to resolve conflicts within their families and communities in nonviolent, effective ways.

(b) Each district is encouraged to integrate into its existing curriculum a program for violence prevention that includes at least:

(1) a comprehensive, accurate, and age appropriate curriculum on violence prevention, nonviolent conflict resolution, sexual, racial, and cultural harassment, self-protection, and student hazing that promotes equality, respect, understanding, effective communication, individual responsibility, thoughtful decision making, positive conflict resolution, useful coping skills, critical thinking, listening and watching skills, and personal safety;

(2) planning materials, guidelines, and other accurate information on preventing physical and emotional violence, identifying and reducing the incidence of sexual, racial, and cultural harassment, and reducing child abusenew text begin , including physical abuse,new text end and neglect;

(3) a special parent education component of early childhood family education programs to prevent child abuse and neglect and to promote positive parenting skills, giving priority to services and outreach programs for at-risk families;

(4) involvement of parents and other community members, including the clergy, business representatives, civic leaders, local elected officials, law enforcement officials, and the county attorney;

(5) collaboration with local community services, agencies, and organizations that assist in violence intervention or prevention, including family-based services, crisis services, life management skills services, case coordination services, mental health services, and early intervention services;

(6) collaboration among districts and service cooperatives;

(7) targeting early adolescents for prevention efforts, especially early adolescents whose personal circumstances may lead to violent or harassing behavior;

(8) opportunities for teachers to receive in-service training or attend other programs on strategies or curriculum designed to assist students in intervening in or preventing violence in school and at home; and

(9) administrative policies that reflect, and a staff that models, nonviolent behaviors that do not display or condone sexual, racial, or cultural harassment or student hazing.

(c) The department may provide assistance at a neutral site to a nonpublic school participating in a district's program.

Subd. 3.

State growth measures; other state measures.

(a)(1) The state's educational assessment system measuring individual students' educational growth is based on indicators of current achievement that show growth relative to an individual student's prior achievement. Indicators of achievement and prior achievement must be based on highly reliable statewide or districtwide assessments.

(2) For purposes of paragraphs (b), (c), and (d), the commissioner must analyze and report separate categories of information using the student categories identified under the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act, as most recently reauthorized, and, in addition to "other" for each race and ethnicity, and the Karen community, seven of the most populous Asian and Pacific Islander groups, three of the most populous Native groups, seven of the most populous Hispanic/Latino groups, and five of the most populous Black and African Heritage groups as determined by the total Minnesota population based on the most recent American Community Survey; English learners under section 124D.59; home language; free or reduced-price meals; and all students enrolled in a Minnesota public school who are currently or were previously in foster care, except that such disaggregation and cross tabulation is not required if the number of students in a category is insufficient to yield statistically reliable information or the results would reveal personally identifiable information about an individual student.

(b) The commissioner, in consultation with a stakeholder group that includes assessment and evaluation directors, district staff, experts in culturally responsive teaching, and researchers, must implement an appropriate growth model that compares the difference in students' achievement scores over time, and includes criteria for identifying schools and school districts that demonstrate academic progress or progress toward English language proficiency. The model may be used to advance educators' professional development and replicate programs that succeed in meeting students' diverse learning needs. Data on individual teachers generated under the model are personnel data under section 13.43. The model must allow users to:

(1) report student growth consistent with this paragraph; and

(2) for all student categories, report and compare aggregated and disaggregated state student growth and, under section 120B.11, subdivision 2, clause (2), student learning and outcome data using the student categories identified under the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act, as most recently reauthorized, and other student categories under paragraph (a), clause (2).

The commissioner must report measures of student growth and, under section 120B.11, subdivision 2, clause (2), student learning and outcome data, consistent with this paragraph, including the English language development, academic progress, and oral academic development of English learners and their native language development if the native language is used as a language of instruction, and include data on all pupils enrolled in a Minnesota public school course or program who are currently or were previously counted as an English learner under section 124D.59.new text begin In addition, the commissioner must report language development outcomes of the target language of instruction other than English for all students who are in a dual language immersion program or who are enrolled in a Minnesota public school course or program in which the objective is improving or maintaining the students' native language.new text end

(c) When reporting student performance under section 120B.36, subdivision 1, the commissioner annually, beginning July 1, 2011, must report two core measures indicating the extent to which current high school graduates are being prepared for postsecondary academic and career opportunities:

(1) a preparation measure indicating the number and percentage of high school graduates in the most recent school year who completed course work important to preparing them for postsecondary academic and career opportunities, consistent with the core academic subjects required for admission to Minnesota's public colleges and universities as determined by the Office of Higher Education under chapter 136A; and

(2) a rigorous coursework measure indicating the number and percentage of high school graduates in the most recent school year who successfully completed one or more college-level advanced placement, international baccalaureate, postsecondary enrollment options including concurrent enrollment, other rigorous courses of study under section 120B.021, subdivision 1a, or industry certification courses or programs.

When reporting the core measures under clauses (1) and (2), the commissioner must also analyze and report separate categories of information using the student categories identified under the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act, as most recently reauthorized, and other student categories under paragraph (a), clause (2).

(d) When reporting student performance under section 120B.36, subdivision 1, the commissioner annually, beginning July 1, 2014, must report summary data on school safety and students' engagement and connection at school, consistent with the student categories identified under paragraph (a), clause (2). The summary data under this paragraph are separate from and must not be used for any purpose related to measuring or evaluating the performance of classroom teachers. The commissioner, in consultation with qualified experts on student engagement and connection and classroom teachers, must identify highly reliable variables that generate summary data under this paragraph. The summary data may be used at school, district, and state levels only. Any data on individuals received, collected, or created that are used to generate the summary data under this paragraph are nonpublic data under section 13.02, subdivision 9.

(e) For purposes of statewide educational accountability, the commissioner must identify and report measures that demonstrate the success of learning year program providers under sections 123A.05 and 124D.68, among other such providers, in improving students' graduation outcomes. The commissioner, beginning July 1, 2015, must annually report summary data on:

(1) the four- and six-year graduation rates of students under this paragraph;

(2) the percent of students under this paragraph whose progress and performance levels are meeting career and college readiness benchmarks under section 120B.307; and

(3) the success that learning year program providers experience in:

(i) identifying at-risk and off-track student populations by grade;

(ii) providing successful prevention and intervention strategies for at-risk students;

(iii) providing successful recuperative and recovery or reenrollment strategies for off-track students; and

(iv) improving the graduation outcomes of at-risk and off-track students.

The commissioner may include in the annual report summary data on other education providers serving a majority of students eligible to participate in a learning year program.

(f) The commissioner, in consultation with recognized experts with knowledge and experience in assessing the language proficiency and academic performance of all English learners enrolled in a Minnesota public school course or program who are currently or were previously counted as an English learner under section 124D.59, must identify and report appropriate and effective measures to improve current categories of language difficulty and assessments, and monitor and report data on students' English proficiency levels, program placement, and academic language development, including oral academic language.

(g) When reporting four- and six-year graduation rates, the commissioner or school district must disaggregate the data by student categories according to paragraph (a), clause (2).

(h) A school district must inform parents and guardians that volunteering information on student categories not required by the most recent reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act is optional and will not violate the privacy of students or their families, parents, or guardians. The notice must state the purpose for collecting the student data.

Subd. 4.

Local policy components.

(a) Each district and school policy implemented under this section must, at a minimum:

(1) designate a staff member as the primary contact person in the school building to receive reports of prohibited conduct under clause (3), ensure the policy and its procedures including restorative practices, consequences, and sanctions are fairly and fully implemented, and serve as the primary contact on policy and procedural matters implicating both the district or school and the department;

(2) require school employees who witness prohibited conduct or possess reliable information that would lead a reasonable person to suspect that a student is a target of prohibited conduct to make reasonable efforts to address and resolve the prohibited conduct;

(3) provide a procedure to begin to investigate reports of prohibited conduct within three school days of the report, and make the primary contact person responsible for the investigation and any resulting record and for keeping and regulating access to any record;

(4) indicate how a school will respond to an identified incident of prohibited conduct, including immediately intervening to protect the target of the prohibited conduct; at the school administrator's discretion and consistent with state and federal data practices law governing access to data, including section 13.02, subdivision 8, a presumption that a district or school official will notify the parent of the reported target of the prohibited conduct and the parent of the actor engaged in the prohibited conduct; providing other remedial responses to the prohibited conduct; and ensuring that remedial responses are tailored to the particular incident and nature of the conduct and the student's developmental age and behavioral historynew text begin . For purposes of the notification presumed under this clause, a parent or legal guardian may designate in writing to the school another individual to be notified of the prohibited conductnew text end ;

(5) prohibit reprisals or retaliation against any person who asserts, alleges, or reports prohibited conduct or provides information about such conduct and establish appropriate consequences for a person who engages in reprisal or retaliation;

(6) allow anonymous reporting but do not rely solely on an anonymous report to determine discipline;

(7) provide information about available community resources to the target, actor, and other affected individuals, as appropriate;

(8) where appropriate for a child with a disability to prevent or respond to prohibited conduct, allow the child's individualized education program or section 504 plan to address the skills and proficiencies the child needs to respond to or not engage in prohibited conduct;

(9) use new employee training materials, the school publication on school rules, procedures, and standards of conduct, and the student handbook on school policies to publicize the policy;

(10) require ongoing professional development, consistent with section 122A.60, to build the skills of all school personnel who regularly interact with students, including but not limited to educators, administrators, school counselors, social workers, psychologists, other school mental health professionals, school nurses, cafeteria workers, custodians, bus drivers, athletic coaches, extracurricular activities advisors, and paraprofessionals to identify, prevent, and appropriately address prohibited conduct;

(11) allow the alleged actor in an investigation of prohibited conduct to present a defense; and

(12) inform affected students and their parents of their rights under state and federal data practices laws to obtain access to data related to the incident and their right to contest the accuracy or completeness of the data.

(b) Professional development under a local policy includes, but is not limited to, information about:

(1) developmentally appropriate strategies both to prevent and to immediately and effectively intervene to stop prohibited conduct;

(2) the complex dynamics affecting an actor, target, and witnesses to prohibited conduct;

(3) research on prohibited conduct, including specific categories of students at risk for prohibited conduct in school;

(4) the incidence and nature of cyberbullying; and

(5) Internet safety and cyberbullying.

Subd. 6.

State model policy.

(a) The commissioner, in consultation with the commissioner of human rights, shall develop and maintain a state model policy. A district or school that does not adopt and implement a local policy under subdivisions 3 to 5 must implement and may supplement the provisions of the state model policy. The commissioner must assist districts and schools under this subdivision to implement the state policy. The state model policy must:

(1) define prohibited conduct, consistent with this section;

(2) apply the prohibited conduct policy components in this section;

(3) for a child with a disability, whenever an evaluation by an individualized education program team or a section 504 team indicates that the child's disability affects the child's social skills development or the child is vulnerable to prohibited conduct because of the child's disability, the child's individualized education program or section 504 plan may address the skills and proficiencies the child needs to not engage in and respond to such conduct; and

(4) encourage violence prevention and character development education programs under section 120B.232, subdivision 1.

(b) The commissioner shall develop and post departmental procedures for:

(1) periodically reviewing district and school programs and policies for compliance with this section;

(2) deleted text begin investigatingdeleted text end new text begin assessing, evaluatingnew text end , reporting, and responding to noncompliance with this section, which may include an annual review of plans to improve and provide a safe and supportive school climate; and

(3) allowing students, parents, and educators to file a complaint about noncompliance with the commissioner.

(c) The commissioner must post on the department's website information indicating that when districts and schools allow non-curriculum-related student groups access to school facilities, the district or school must give all student groups equal access to the school facilities regardless of the content of the group members' speech.

(d) The commissioner must develop and maintain resources to assist a district or school in implementing strategies for creating a positive school climate and use evidence-based, social-emotional learning to prevent and reduce discrimination and other improper conduct.

Subd. 3.

deleted text begin Applicationdeleted text end new text begin Board approvalnew text end process.

deleted text begin The commissioner must determine the form and manner of application for a school to be designated a P-TECH school.deleted text end The deleted text begin applicationdeleted text end new text begin school board plan for adopting a P-TECH programnew text end must contain at least the following information:

(1) the written agreement between a public school, a higher education institution under section 124D.09, subdivision 3, paragraph (a), and a business partner to jointly develop and support a P-TECH school;

(2) a proposed school design consistent with subdivisions 1 and 2;

(3) a description of how the P-TECH school supports the needs of the economic development region in which the P-TECH school is to be located;

(4) a description of the facilities to be used by the P-TECH school;

(5) a description of proposed budgets, curriculum, transportation plans, and other operating procedures for the P-TECH school;

(6) the process by which students will be enrolled in the P-TECH school;

(7) the qualifications required for individuals employed in the P-TECH school; and

(8) any additional information that the deleted text begin commissioner requiresdeleted text end new text begin board determines is appropriatenew text end .

Subd. 4.

deleted text begin Approvaldeleted text end new text begin Grantnew text end process.

(a) new text begin When an appropriation is available, new text end the commissioner of education must appoint an advisory committee to review the new text begin grant new text end applications and to recommend approval for those applications that meet the requirements of this section. The commissioner of education has final authority over new text begin grant new text end application approvals.

(b) To the extent practicable, the commissioner must ensure an equitable geographic distribution of new text begin grants for new text end approved P-TECH schools.

new text begin (c) Nothing in this subdivision may be construed to authorize the commissioner to approve or deny a locally adopted P-TECH plan. new text end

Subd. 9.

Minnesota math corps program.

(a) A Minnesota math corps program is established to deleted text begin givedeleted text end new text begin providenew text end ServeMinnesota AmeriCorps membersnew text begin withnew text end a data-based problem-solving model of mathematics instruction deleted text begin useful fordeleted text end new text begin to use innew text end providing elementary and middle school students and their teachers with instructional supportnew text begin . Minnesota math corps must use evidence-based instructional support to evaluate and accelerate student learning on foundational mathematics skills that enable studentsnew text end to meet state academic standards in mathematicsnew text begin and long-term proficiency expectations for the workforcenew text end .

(b) The commission must submit a biennial report to the committees of the legislature with jurisdiction over kindergarten through grade 12 education that records and evaluates program data to determine the efficacy of the programs under this subdivision.

new text begin (c) For purposes of this subdivision, "evidence-based" means the instruction or curriculum is based on reliable, trustworthy, and valid evidence and has demonstrated a record of success in increasing student competency and proficiency in mathematics and numeracy. new text end

Subd. 3.

Public engagement; progress report and budget process.

(a) To receive revenue under section 124D.862, the school board of an eligible district must incorporate school and district plan components under section 120B.11 into the district's comprehensive integration plan.

(b) A school board must hold at least one formal annual hearing to publicly report its progress in realizing the goals identified in its plan. At the hearing, the board must provide the public with longitudinal data demonstrating district and school progress in reducing the disparities in student academic performance among the specified categories of students, in improving students' equitable access to effective and more diverse teachers, and in realizing racial and economic diversity and integration, consistent with the district plan and the measures in paragraph (a). At least 30 days before the formal hearing under this paragraph, the board must post its plan, its preliminary analysis, relevant student performance data, and other longitudinal data on the district's website. A district must hold one hearing to meet the hearing requirements of both this section and section 120B.11.new text begin Annually by October 15, a school board must submit a report of its progress in realizing the goals identified in its comprehensive integration plan to the commissioner of education in the form and manner determined by the commissioner.new text end

(c) The district must submit a detailed budget to the commissioner by March 15 in the year before it implements its plan. The commissioner must review, and approve or disapprove the district's budget by June 1 of that year.

(d) The longitudinal data required under paragraph (b) must be based on student growth and progress in reading and mathematics, as defined under section 120B.303, and student performance data and achievement reports from fully adaptive reading and mathematics assessments for grades 3 through 7 beginning in the 2015-2016 school year under section 120B.302, and either (i) school enrollment choices, (ii) the number of world language proficiency or high achievement certificates awarded under section 120B.022, subdivision 1a, or the number of state bilingual and multilingual seals issued under section 120B.022, subdivision 1b, or (iii) school safety and students' engagement and connection at school under section 120B.35, subdivision 3, paragraph (d). Additional longitudinal data may be based on: students' progress toward career and college readiness under section 120B.307; or rigorous coursework completed under section 120B.35, subdivision 3, paragraph (c), clause (2).

Subd. 4.

Timeline and implementation.

A board must approve its plan and submit it to the department by March 15. If a district that is part of a multidistrict council applies for revenue for a plan, the individual district shall not receive revenue unless it ratifies the plan adopted by the multidistrict council. Each plan has a term of three years. deleted text begin For the 2014-2015 school year, an eligible district under this section must submit its plan to the commissioner for review by March 15, 2014. For the 2013-2014 school year only, an eligible district may continue to implement its current plan until the commissioner approves a new plan under this section.deleted text end

Subdivision 1.

Initial achievement and integration revenue.

(a) An eligible district's initial achievement and integration revenue equals the lesser of 100.3 percent of the district's expenditures under the budget approved by the commissioner under section 124D.861, subdivision 3, paragraph (c), excluding expenditures used to generate incentive revenue under subdivision 2, or the sum of (1) $350 times the district's adjusted pupil units for that year times the ratio of the district's enrollment of protected students for the previous school year to total enrollment for the previous school year and (2) the greater of zero or 66 percent of the difference between the district's integration revenue for fiscal year 2013 and the district's integration revenue for fiscal year 2014 under clause (1).

(b) In each year, an amount equal to deleted text begin 0.3deleted text end new text begin 1.3new text end percent of each district's initial achievement and integration revenue for the second prior fiscal year is transferred to the department for the oversight and accountability activities required under this section and section 124D.861.

Subd. 8.

Commissioner authority to withhold revenue.

(a) The commissioner must review the results of each district's integration and achievement plan by deleted text begin Augustdeleted text end new text begin Januarynew text end 1 at the end of the third year of implementing the plan and determine if the district met its goals.

(b) If a district met its goals, it may submit a new three-year plan to the commissioner for review.

(c) If a district has not met its goals, the commissioner must:

(1) guide the district in the development of an improvement plan and timeline that identifies strategies and practices designed to meet the district's goals under this section and section 120B.11; and

(2) new text begin direct the district to new text end use up to 20 percent of the district's integration revenue, until the district's goals are reached, to implement the improvement plan.

Subdivision 1.

Literacy deleted text begin incentivedeleted text end aid.

A district's literacy deleted text begin incentivedeleted text end aid equals the sum of the proficiency aid under subdivision 2, and the growth aid under subdivision 3.

Subd. 5.

Literacy deleted text begin incentivedeleted text end aid uses.

A school district must use its literacy deleted text begin incentivedeleted text end aid to deleted text begin support implementation of evidence-based reading instructiondeleted text end new text begin meet the requirements and goals adopted in the district's local literacy plan under section 120B.12, subdivision 4anew text end . deleted text begin The following are eligible uses of literacy incentive aid:deleted text end

deleted text begin (1) training for kindergarten through grade 3 teachers, early childhood educators, special education teachers, reading intervention teachers working with students in kindergarten through grade 12, curriculum directors, and instructional support staff that provide reading instruction, on using evidence-based screening and progress monitoring tools; deleted text end

deleted text begin (2) evidence-based training using a training program approved by the Department of Education under the Read Act; deleted text end

deleted text begin (3) employing or contracting with a literacy lead, as defined in section 120B.119; deleted text end

deleted text begin (4) employing an intervention specialist; deleted text end

deleted text begin (5) approved screeners, materials, training, and ongoing coaching to ensure reading interventions under section 125A.56, subdivision 1, are evidence-based; deleted text end

deleted text begin (6) costs of substitute teachers to allow teachers to complete required training during the teachers' contract day; and deleted text end

deleted text begin (7) stipends for teachers completing training required under section 120B.12. deleted text end

Subd. 4.

Reporting.

The deleted text begin Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Boarddeleted text end new text begin Department of Educationnew text end must collaborate with the deleted text begin Department of Educationdeleted text end new text begin Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Boardnew text end and the Office of Higher Education to publish a summary report of each of the programs they administer and any other programs receiving state appropriations that have or include an explicit purpose of increasing the racial and ethnic diversity of the state's teacher workforce to more closely reflect the diversity of students. The report must include programs under sections 122A.59, 122A.63, 122A.635, 122A.70, 122A.73, 124D.09, 124D.861, 136A.1274, 136A.1276, and 136A.1791, along with any other programs or initiatives that receive state appropriations to address the shortage of teachers of color and American Indian teachers. The deleted text begin boarddeleted text end new text begin commissionernew text end must, in coordination with the new text begin Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board and the new text end Office of Higher Education deleted text begin and Department of Educationdeleted text end , provide policy and funding recommendations related to state-funded programs to increase the recruitment, preparation, licensing, hiring, and retention of racially and ethnically diverse teachers and the state's progress toward meeting or exceeding the goals of this section. The report must include recommendations for state policy and funding needed to achieve the goals of this section, plans for sharing the report and activities of grant recipients, and opportunities among grant recipients of various programs to share effective practices with each other. The initial report must also include a recommendation of whether a state advisory council should be established to address the shortage of racially and ethnically diverse teachers and what the composition and charge of such an advisory council would be if established. The deleted text begin boarddeleted text end new text begin commissionernew text end must consult with the Indian Affairs Council and other ethnic councils along with other community partners, including students of color and American Indian students, in developing the report. The deleted text begin boarddeleted text end new text begin commissionernew text end must submit the report to the chairs and ranking minority members of the legislative committees with jurisdiction over education and higher education policy and finance by November 3, 2025, for the initial report, and by November 3 each even-numbered year thereafter. The report must be available to the public on the deleted text begin board'sdeleted text end new text begin commissioner'snew text end website.

Subd. 2.

Requirements for board approval.

Teacher preparation programs must demonstrate the following to obtain board approval:

(1) the program has implemented a research-based, results-oriented curriculum that focuses on the skills teachers need in order to be effective;

(2) the program provides a student teaching program;

(3) the program demonstrates effectiveness based on proficiency of graduates in demonstrating attainment of program outcomes;

(4) the program includes a common core of teaching knowledge and skills. This common core shall meet the standards developed by the Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium deleted text begin in its 1992 model standardsdeleted text end for beginning teacher licensing and development. Amendments to standards adopted under this clause are subject to chapter 14deleted text begin . The Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board shall report annually to the education committees of the legislature on the performance of teacher candidates on common core assessments of knowledge and skills under this clause during the most recent school yeardeleted text end ;

(5) the program includes instruction on the knowledge and skills needed to provide appropriate instruction to English learners to support and accelerate their academic literacy, including oral academic language and achievement in content areas in a regular classroom setting; and

(6) the program includes culturally competent training in instructional strategies consistent with section 120B.30, subdivision 8.

Subd. 5.

Reading strategies.

(a) A teacher preparation provider approved by the Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board to prepare persons for classroom teacher licensure must include in its teacher preparation programs evidence-based best practices in reading, consistent with sections 120B.118 to 120B.124, including instruction on phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary development, reading fluency, and reading comprehension. Instruction on reading must enable the licensure candidate to teach reading in the candidate's content areas. Teacher candidates must be instructed in using students' native languages as a resource in creating effective differentiated instructional strategies for English learners developing literacy skills. deleted text begin A teacher preparation provider also must prepare early childhood and elementary teacher candidates for Tier 3 and Tier 4 teaching licenses under sections 122A.183 and 122A.184, respectively.deleted text end

(b) Board-approved teacher preparation programs for teachers of elementary education must require instruction in applying evidence-based, structured literacy reading instruction programs that:

(1) teach students to read using foundational knowledge, practices, and strategies consistent with sections 120B.118 to 120B.124, with emphasis on mastery of foundational reading skills so that students achieve continuous progress in reading; and

(2) teach specialized instruction in reading strategies, interventions, and remediations that enable students of all ages and proficiency levels, including multilingual learners and students demonstrating characteristics of dyslexia, to become proficient readers.

(c) Board-approved teacher preparation programs for teachers of elementary education, early childhood education, special education, and reading intervention must include instruction on dyslexia, as defined in section 125A.01, subdivision 2. Teacher preparation programs may consult with the Department of Education, including the dyslexia specialist under section 120B.122, to develop instruction under this paragraph. Instruction on dyslexia must be modeled on practice standards of the International Dyslexia Association, and must address:

(1) the nature and symptoms of dyslexia;

(2) resources available for students who show characteristics of dyslexia;

(3) evidence-based instructional strategies for students who show characteristics of dyslexia, including the structured literacy approach; and

(4) outcomes of intervention and lack of intervention for students who show characteristics of dyslexia.

(d) Nothing in this section limits the authority of a school district to select a school's reading program or curriculum.

Subd. 2.

deleted text begin Boarddeleted text end Grants.

(a) The deleted text begin Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Boarddeleted text end new text begin Department of Educationnew text end must make grant application forms available to sites interested in developing, sustaining, or expanding a mentorship program.

(b) The following deleted text begin applicantsdeleted text end are eligible for a program grant:

(1) a school district, charter school, or cooperative unit, on behalf of its participating school sites;

(2) a Tribal contract school;

(3) a coalition of teachers; deleted text begin anddeleted text end

new text begin (4) a higher education institution; new text end

new text begin (5) a nonprofit organization; new text end

new text begin (6) a professional organization; and new text end

deleted text begin (4)deleted text end new text begin (7)new text end a coalition of two or more applicants that are individually eligible for a grant.

A higher education institutionnew text begin , professional organization,new text end or nonprofit organization deleted text begin maydeleted text end new text begin mustnew text end partner with deleted text begin an eligible grant applicant but is not eligible as a sole applicant for grant fundsdeleted text end new text begin a school district, charter school, cooperative unit, Tribal contract school, or coalition of teachers to apply for a grantnew text end .

(c) The deleted text begin Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board, in consultation with the teacher mentoring task force,deleted text end new text begin commissionernew text end must approve or disapprove the applications. To the extent possible, the approved applications must reflect effective mentoring, professional development, and retention components, and be geographically distributed throughout the state. deleted text begin The Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board must encourage the selected sites to consider the use of its assessment procedures.deleted text end

Subd. 3.

Criteria for selection.

(a) deleted text begin At a minimum,deleted text end Applicants for grants under subdivision 2 must express commitment to:

(1) allow staff participation;

(2) assess skills of both beginning and mentor teachers;

(3) provide appropriate in-service to needs identified in the assessment;

(4) provide leadership to the effort;

(5) cooperate with higher education institutions or teacher educators;

(6) provide facilities and other resources;

(7) share findings, materials, and techniques with other school districts; and

(8) retain teachers of color and teachers who are American Indian.

(b) The deleted text begin Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Boarddeleted text end new text begin commissionernew text end must give priority to applications to fund programs to induct, mentor, and retain deleted text begin Tier 2 or Tier 3deleted text end teachers who are of color or who are American Indiandeleted text begin ,deleted text end and deleted text begin Tier 2 or Tier 3deleted text end teachers in licensure shortage areas within the applicant's economic development region.

Subd. 5.

Program implementation.

A grant recipient may use grant funds on implementing activities over a period of time up to 24 months. New and expanding mentorship sites that receive a deleted text begin boarddeleted text end grant under subdivision 2 to design, develop, implement, and evaluate their program must participate in activities that support program development and implementation.

Subd. 5a.

Grant program administration.

The deleted text begin Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Boarddeleted text end new text begin commissionernew text end may enter into an interagency agreement with the Office of Higher Education or the deleted text begin Department of Educationdeleted text end new text begin Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Boardnew text end . The agreement may include a transfer of funds to the Office of Higher Education or the deleted text begin Department of Educationdeleted text end new text begin Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Boardnew text end to help administer the competitive grant process.

Subd. 6.

Report.

By September 30 of each year after receiving a grant, recipients must submit a report to deleted text begin the Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Boarddeleted text end new text begin the Department of Educationnew text end on program efforts that describes mentoring and induction activities and assesses the impact of these programs on teacher effectiveness and retention. The deleted text begin boarddeleted text end new text begin commissionernew text end must publish a summary report for the public and submit the report to the committees of the legislature with jurisdiction over kindergarten through grade 12 education policy and finance in accordance with section 3.302 by November 30 of each new text begin even-numbered new text end year.

Subd. 2a.

Certified trained facilitator.

"Certified trained facilitator" means a person employed by a district or deleted text begin regional literacy networkdeleted text end new text begin Minnesota service cooperativenew text end who has completed professional development approved by the Department of Education in structured literacy, completed the vendor's certification prerequisites and facilitator training requirements, completed the vendor's annual recertification requirements, remains in good standing with the sponsoring agency and vendor, uses the vendor's training materials with fidelity, and participates in mentoring or coaching provided by CAREI and the Department of Education on facilitating literacy training. A literacy lead who meets the requirements under this subdivision may be a certified trained facilitator.

Subd. 10.

Oral language.

"Oral language," also called "deleted text begin spokendeleted text end new text begin expressivenew text end languagenew text begin " or "receptive languagenew text end ," includes speaking and listening, and consists of five components: phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, and pragmatics. Oral language also includes sign language, in which speaking and listening skills are defined as expressive and receptive skills, and consists of phonology, including sign language phonological awareness, morphology, syntax, semantics, and pragmatics.

Subd. 15.

Structured literacy.

"Structured literacy" means an approach to reading instruction in which teachers carefully structure important literacy skills, concepts, and the sequence of instruction to facilitate children's literacy learning and progress. Structured literacy is characterized by the provision of systematic, explicit, sequential, and diagnostic instruction in phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary and oral language development, and reading comprehension.new text begin This approach is consistent with the principles identified in the science of reading and is designed to ensure all students develop strong foundational literacy skills.new text end

Subdivision 1.

Literacy goal.

(a) The legislature seeks to have every child reading at or above grade level every year, beginning in kindergarten, and to support multilingual learners and students receiving special education services in achieving their individualized reading goals in order to meet grade-level deleted text begin proficiencydeleted text end new text begin benchmarksnew text end . By the 2026-2027 school year, districts must provide evidence-based reading instruction through a focus on student mastery of the foundational reading skills of phonemic awareness, phonics, and fluency, as well as the development of oral language, vocabulary, and reading comprehension skills. Students must receive evidence-based instruction that is proven to effectively teach children to read, consistent with sections 120B.118 to 120B.124.

(b) To meet this goal, each district must provide teachers and instructional support staff with responsibility for teaching reading with training on evidence-based reading instruction that is approved by the Department of Education by the deadlines provided in section 120B.123, subdivision 5.

(c) Districts are strongly encouraged to adopt a MTSS framework. The framework should include a process fornew text begin engaging families and communities,new text end monitoring student progress, evaluating program fidelity, and analyzing student outcomes and needs in order to design and implement ongoing evidenced-basednew text begin , culturally responsivenew text end instruction and interventions.

Subd. 2.

Identification; report.

(a) Each school district must screen every student enrolled in kindergarten, grade 1, grade 2, and grade 3 using a screening tool approved by the Department of Education three times each school year: (1) within the first six weeks of the school year; (2) by February 15 each year; and (3) within the last six weeks of the school year. Students enrolled in kindergarten, grade 1, grade 2, and grade 3, including multilingual learners deleted text begin anddeleted text end new text begin ,new text end students receiving special education services,new text begin and students enrolled in dual language immersion programs,new text end must be universally screened for mastery of foundational reading skills, including phonemic awareness, phonics, decoding, fluency, oral language, and for characteristics of dyslexia as measured by a screening tool approved by the Department of Education. The screening for characteristics of dyslexia may be integrated with universal screening for mastery of foundational skills and deleted text begin oraldeleted text end new text begin expressive or receptivenew text end languagenew text begin mastery. The screening tool used must be a valid and reliable universal screener that is highly correlated with foundational reading skills. For students reading at grade level, beginning in the winter of grade 2, the oral reading fluency screener may be used to assess reading difficulties, including characteristics of dyslexia, without requiring a separate screening of each subcomponent of foundational reading skillsnew text end . A district must submit data on student performance in kindergarten, grade 1, grade 2, and grade 3 on foundational reading skills, including phonemic awareness, phonics, decoding, fluency, and oral language to the Department of Education in the annual local literacy plan submission due on June 15.

new text begin (b) For students enrolled in dual language immersion programs: new text end

new text begin (1) if students are screened in the partner language, they must be screened at the same interval as the screenings in English under paragraph (a); new text end

new text begin (2) if the program provides instruction in foundational reading skills in English, the students receiving that instruction must be screened in English; new text end

new text begin (3) if the program provides instruction in foundational reading skills in the partner language, the students receiving that instruction must be screened in the partner language; new text end

new text begin (4) if no screener is available in the partner language, the districts must identify how students' reading proficiency is assessed and how the districts determine and provide targeted reading instruction in the partner language and supports to students identified as needing additional support in developing mastery of foundational reading skills; and new text end

new text begin (5) the partner language screening tool must be approved by the district for kindergarten through grade 3 students. new text end

deleted text begin (b)deleted text end new text begin (c)new text end Students in grades 4 and above, including multilingual learners and students receiving special education services, who deleted text begin do not demonstrate mastery of foundational reading skills, including phonemic awareness, phonics, decoding, fluency, and oral language,deleted text end new text begin are not reading at grade levelnew text end must be screened new text begin for reading difficulties, including characteristics of dyslexia,new text end using a screening tool approved by the Department of Education deleted text begin for characteristics of dyslexiadeleted text end , and must continue to receive evidence-based instruction, interventions, and progress monitoring until the students achieve grade-level proficiency. A parent, in consultation with a teacher, may opt a student out of the literacy screener if the parent and teacher decide that continuing to screen would not be beneficial to the student. In such limited cases, the student must continue to receive progress monitoring and literacy interventions.