1.1 	A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to education; establishing a program to promote educational stability for 
1.3 	students in foster care; requiring a report; appropriating money.
1.4 	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.5 	Section 1. EDUCATIONAL STABILITY FOR STUDENTS IN FOSTER CARE.
 1.6 		Subdivision 1.Establishment. A pilot project is established to provide incentives for 
1.7 	school districts and county governments to develop partnership agreements and implement 
1.8 	transportation plans to help keep foster care students enrolled in their school of origin when 
1.9 	a student is placed in a foster care setting outside the school of origin's boundaries.
1.10 		Subd. 2.Qualifying plans. A school district must submit an application in the form and 
1.11 	manner prescribed by the commissioner of education to participate in the program. To 
1.12 	qualify for participation, one or more school districts and the local child welfare agency 
1.13 	must have a written interagency agreement that describes the local plan for ensuring 
1.14 	educational stability for foster care students. The parties to the agreement must seek title 
1.15 	IV-E reimbursement for eligible students and eligible transportation costs. The plan must 
1.16 	describe:
1.17 	(1) how transportation services will be arranged and provided; and
1.18 	(2) how local transportation costs will be paid for if pilot project funds are insufficient 
1.19 	to cover all costs.
1.20 		Subd. 3.Pilot project; funding. The commissioner must reimburse partnerships with 
1.21 	qualifying plans under subdivision 2 at the end of the school year based on allowable 
1.22 	expenditures and reimbursements and compliance with other reporting requirements. If the 
2.1 	available appropriation is insufficient to fully fund all qualifying plans, the commissioner 
2.2 	may prorate the available funds statewide among all school districts with qualifying plans.
2.3 		Subd. 4.Report. By February 1, 2018, the commissioner of education shall report on 
2.4 	the pilot project to the legislative committees having jurisdiction over early childhood 
2.5 	through grade 12 education. The report must include, at a minimum, the number of local 
2.6 	agreements entered into for this project along with the number of school districts and counties 
2.7 	participating in the agreements, baseline data showing the number of foster care students 
2.8 	who were able to remain in their school of origin and the changes in the ratio over the time 
2.9 	of the pilot project, data on expenditures for school stability transportation and federal 
2.10 	reimbursements received for the pilot project with a midyear projection of end-of-year costs 
2.11 	and revenues, and projected costs for statewide implementation of the program.

2.12 	Sec. 2. APPROPRIATION.
 2.13 	$....... in fiscal year 2018 is appropriated from the general fund to the Department of 
2.14 	Education for a pilot project to promote educational stability for students living in foster 
2.15 	care. Up to five percent of the appropriation may be used for state and local administrative 
2.16 	costs such as reporting, technical support, and establishing a title IV-E reimbursement 
2.17 	claiming process.