1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to education; reducing early elementary class 
  1.3             size; appropriating money; proposing coding for new 
  1.4             law in Minnesota Statutes, chapter 126C. 
  1.5   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.6      Section 1.  [126C.105] [CLASS SIZE REDUCTION PROGRAM.] 
  1.7      Subdivision 1.  [POLICY AND PURPOSE.] It is the goal of the 
  1.8   legislature to ensure that all elementary school children 
  1.9   receive instruction in an environment designed to maximize 
  1.10  learning.  To this end, school districts are provided the 
  1.11  financial incentives necessary to provide instruction to 
  1.12  children in the early elementary grades in classrooms with 17 or 
  1.13  fewer students. 
  1.14     Subd. 2.  [FULL FUNDING ELIGIBILITY.] To qualify for 
  1.15  funding under this section, a school district shall maintain in 
  1.16  each participating class an annual average class size of not 
  1.17  more than 17 students during the instructional time qualifying 
  1.18  the class for funding. 
  1.19     Subd. 3.  [PARTIAL FUNDING ELIGIBILITY.] A school district 
  1.20  that provides a reduced class size of not more than 17 students 
  1.21  for at least one-half of the instructional minutes of the school 
  1.22  day qualifies for one-half of the class size reduction funding 
  1.23  amount.  School districts participating in this option must use 
  1.24  the smaller class size time for reading and mathematics 
  1.25  instruction. 
  2.1      Subd. 4.  [CLASS SIZE DETERMINATION.] A school district's 
  2.2   class size may exceed 17 students on a particular school day, 
  2.3   but the average class size for the school year must not exceed 
  2.4   17. 
  2.5      Subd. 5.  [REVENUE.] A school district that certifies to 
  2.6   the department of children, families, and learning that it is 
  2.7   eligible for full funding under subdivision 2 is eligible for 
  2.8   class size reduction revenue of $600 times the number of 
  2.9   students in kindergarten through grade 3 receiving instruction 
  2.10  in qualifying classrooms.  A school district that certifies to 
  2.11  the department of children, families, and learning that it meets 
  2.12  the eligibility criteria of subdivision 3 is eligible for 
  2.13  revenue of $300 times the number of students in kindergarten 
  2.14  through grade 3 receiving instruction in qualifying classrooms.  
  2.15     Subd. 6.  [STATE AID.] Class size reduction revenue is 
  2.16  provided entirely through state aid. 
  2.17     Sec. 2.  [APPROPRIATION.] 
  2.18     $....... is appropriated in fiscal years 2000 and 2001 from 
  2.19  the general fund to the commissioner of children, families, and 
  2.20  learning for class size reduction revenue according to section 1.
  2.21     Sec. 3.  [EFFECTIVE DATE.] 
  2.22     Section 1 is effective for revenue for fiscal years 2000 
  2.23  and later.