1.1                          A bill for an act
  1.2             relating to education; increasing funding for certain 
  1.3             kindergarten students; requiring certain 
  1.4             prekindergarten activities; creating a levy; 
  1.5             appropriating money; amending Minnesota Statutes 1994, 
  1.6             section 124.17, subdivision 1; proposing coding for 
  1.7             new law in Minnesota Statutes, chapter 124. 
  1.8   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.9      Section 1.  Minnesota Statutes 1994, section 124.17, 
  1.10  subdivision 1, is amended to read: 
  1.11     Subdivision 1.  [PUPIL UNIT.] Pupil units for each resident 
  1.12  pupil in average daily membership shall be counted according to 
  1.13  this subdivision.  
  1.14     (a) A prekindergarten pupil with a disability who is 
  1.15  enrolled for the entire fiscal year in a program approved by the 
  1.16  commissioner and has an individual education plan that requires 
  1.17  up to 437 hours of assessment and education services in the 
  1.18  fiscal year is counted as one-half of a pupil unit.  If the plan 
  1.19  requires more than 437 hours of assessment and education 
  1.20  services, the pupil is counted as the ratio of the number of 
  1.21  hours of assessment and education service to 875, but not more 
  1.22  than one. 
  1.23     (b) A prekindergarten pupil with a disability who is 
  1.24  enrolled for less than the entire fiscal year in a program 
  1.25  approved by the commissioner is counted as the greater of: 
  1.26     (1) one-half times the ratio of the number of instructional 
  2.1   days from the date the pupil is enrolled to the date the pupil 
  2.2   withdraws to the number of instructional days in the school 
  2.3   year; or 
  2.4      (2) the ratio of the number of hours of assessment and 
  2.5   education service required in the fiscal year by the pupil's 
  2.6   individual education program plan to 875, but not more than one. 
  2.7      (c) A prekindergarten pupil who is assessed but determined 
  2.8   not to be handicapped is counted as the ratio of the number of 
  2.9   hours of assessment service to 875.  
  2.10     (d) A kindergarten pupil with a disability who is enrolled 
  2.11  in a program approved by the commissioner is counted as the 
  2.12  ratio of the number of hours of assessment and education 
  2.13  services required in the fiscal year by the pupil's individual 
  2.14  education program plan to 875, but not more than one. 
  2.15     (e)(i) A kindergarten pupil who is not included in 
  2.16  paragraph (d) is counted as .515 of a pupil unit for fiscal year 
  2.17  1994 and .53 of a pupil unit for fiscal year 1995 and thereafter.
  2.18     (ii) A kindergarten pupil or a prekindergarten pupil who is 
  2.19  not included in paragraph (c) or (d) is counted as .53 of a 
  2.20  pupil unit for time spent in a program under section 124.2613. 
  2.21     (f) A pupil who is in any of grades 1 to 6 is counted as 
  2.22  1.03 pupil units for fiscal year 1994 and 1.06 pupil units for 
  2.23  fiscal year 1995 and thereafter. 
  2.24     (g) A pupil who is in any of grades 7 to 12 is counted as 
  2.25  1.3 pupil units.  
  2.26     (h) A pupil who is in the post-secondary enrollment options 
  2.27  program is counted as 1.3 pupil units. 
  2.28     Sec. 2.  [124.2613] [KINDERGARTEN PREPAREDNESS PROGRAM.] 
  2.29     Subdivision 1.  [PURPOSE.] The purpose of the kindergarten 
  2.30  preparedness program is to ensure that every child who enters 
  2.31  first grade has the necessary skills and readiness in order to 
  2.32  learn.  To the extent possible, a kindergarten preparedness 
  2.33  program should serve children in those districts that are not 
  2.34  otherwise receiving sufficient readiness services from Head 
  2.35  Start programs, learning readiness programs, community education 
  2.36  programs, way-to-grow programs, or half-day kindergarten 
  3.1   programs. 
  3.2      Subd. 2.  [QUALIFYING DISTRICT.] A school district 
  3.3   qualifies for kindergarten preparedness revenue if: 
  3.4      (1) the school board approves a resolution requiring the 
  3.5   district to provide services to all children over the age of 
  3.6   5-1/2 years as of January 1 of the previous year; 
  3.7      (2) the district's administrative office is located in the 
  3.8   seven-county metropolitan area; and 
  3.9      (3) the district's free and reduced lunch count for the 
  3.10  previous year exceeds 20 percent of its total enrollment for 
  3.11  that school year. 
  3.12     Subd. 3.  [NONPARTICIPATION.] A parent or guardian of any 
  3.13  child under the age of seven and over the age of 5-1/2 years may 
  3.14  request the child not participate in kindergarten preparedness 
  3.15  programs.  The school district shall allow the child to opt out 
  3.16  of the program if the district determines that the child is or 
  3.17  will be ready to meet the demands of first grade. 
  3.18     Subd. 4.  [PROGRAM.] A qualifying school district must 
  3.19  develop its kindergarten preparedness program in consultation 
  3.20  with other providers of school readiness and child development 
  3.21  services.  To the extent possible, kindergarten preparedness 
  3.22  programs should be provided to participating children for the 
  3.23  full school day.  A qualifying school district must work with 
  3.24  the county to provide extended day services to as many children 
  3.25  as possible. 
  3.26     Subd. 5.  [REQUIREMENTS.] The board of a qualifying school 
  3.27  district must develop a plan to serve as many children as 
  3.28  possible.  If revenue is insufficient to serve all eligible 
  3.29  children, the district must attempt to serve low-income children 
  3.30  first. 
  3.31     Subd. 6.  [PREPAREDNESS REVENUE.] A qualifying school 
  3.32  district is eligible for kindergarten preparedness revenue equal 
  3.33  to the basic formula allowance for that year times the number of 
  3.34  pupil units calculated according to section 124.17, subdivision 
  3.35  1, paragraph (e), clause (ii).  
  3.36     Sec. 3.  [124.917] [KINDERGARTEN PREPAREDNESS REVENUE.] 
  4.1      Subdivision 1.  [LEVY AMOUNT.] For taxes payable in 1996 
  4.2   and subsequent years, the commissioner of education shall 
  4.3   certify a levy to fund the kindergarten preparedness program.  
  4.4   The amount of the levy shall equal the sum of the tax rates for 
  4.5   special school district No. 1, Minneapolis, and the city of 
  4.6   Minneapolis for the previous year times the net tax capacity of 
  4.7   the property described in section 272.01, subdivision 2, not 
  4.8   otherwise subject to school district taxation. 
  4.9      Subd. 2.  [LEVY PROCEDURE.] The commissioner of education 
  4.10  shall certify the levy imposed under this section to the 
  4.11  Hennepin county auditor September 1 of each year. 
  4.12     Subd. 3.  [LEVY PROCEEDS.] Each year, the Hennepin county 
  4.13  treasurer shall pay the the amounts collected under subdivision 
  4.14  2 to the qualifying school districts according to the procedures 
  4.15  established in chapter 276. 
  4.16     Subd. 4.  [TRANSPORTATION SAVINGS.] The commissioner of 
  4.17  education shall calculate the state aid savings in 
  4.18  transportation aid to each qualifying school district.  The 
  4.19  amount of that savings is annually appropriated from the state 
  4.20  general fund to the commissioner of education to provide funds 
  4.21  for the kindergarten preparedness program according to section 
  4.22  124.2613. 
  4.23     Subd. 5.  [DISTRIBUTION OF PROCEEDS.] The amounts collected 
  4.24  under this section shall be used to fund the kindergarten 
  4.25  preparedness program according to section 124.2613. 
  4.26     Sec. 4.  [EFFECTIVE DATE.] 
  4.27     Sections 1 to 3 are effective July 1, 1995.  Section 3 
  4.28  first applies to levies beginning with taxes payable in 1996.