1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to education; providing for additional notice 
  1.3             of school closings; amending Minnesota Statutes 2000, 
  1.4             section 123B.51, subdivision 5. 
  1.5   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.6      Section 1.  Minnesota Statutes 2000, section 123B.51, 
  1.7   subdivision 5, is amended to read: 
  1.8      Subd. 5.  [~~SCHOOLHOUSE~~ SCHOOL CLOSING.] The board may close 
  1.9   a ~~schoolhouse~~ school only after a public hearing on the question 
  1.10  of the necessity and practicability of the proposed closing.  
  1.11  Published notice of the hearing shall be given for two weeks in 
  1.12  a conspicuous place in the official newspaper of the 
  1.13  district.  Notice of the closing must also be mailed to every 
  1.14  residence in the attendance areas of the school proposed to be 
  1.15  closed and neighboring schools that would be affected by the 
  1.16  closing.  The time and place of the meeting, the description and 
  1.17  location of the ~~schoolhouse~~ school, ~~and~~ a statement of the 
  1.18  reasons for the closing, and the right of the public to give 
  1.19  testimony, must be specified in the notice.  Parties requesting 
  1.20  to give testimony for and against the proposal ~~shall~~ must be 
  1.21  heard by the board before it makes a final decision to close or 
  1.22  not to close the ~~schoolhouse~~ school.  A public hearing must be 
  1.23  held at least 30 days after the date of the mailing of the 
  1.24  notice.