1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to education; providing for school innovation 
  1.3             and cooperative planning grants; appropriating money. 
  1.4   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.5      Section 1.  [SCHOOL INNOVATION AND COOPERATIVE PLANNING 
  1.6   GRANTS.] 
  1.7      Subdivision 1.  [GRANT PROGRAMS.] The commissioner of 
  1.8   education shall award planning grants to service cooperatives or 
  1.9   to two or more school districts that cooperate to improve 
  1.10  instructional and noninstructional program and service delivery 
  1.11  and cost effectiveness to increase available funds for 
  1.12  instructional-related expenditures.  A service cooperative or 
  1.13  cooperating districts may coordinate, merge, or coordinate and 
  1.14  merge any instructional and noninstructional programs and 
  1.15  services of the districts.  The grant may be used to determine 
  1.16  which district is the primary service provider; which district 
  1.17  or districts provide supplemental support; collaborative 
  1.18  purchasing arrangements for goods and services; and how the 
  1.19  districts may coordinate, merge, or coordinate and merge school 
  1.20  functions, such as payroll, human resources, food services, 
  1.21  facility maintenance, community education programming, and 
  1.22  student transportation.  A service cooperative or cooperating 
  1.23  districts shall apply for a grant on a form and in a manner set 
  1.24  by the department. 
  2.1      Subd. 2.  [REPORT.] The service cooperative or cooperating 
  2.2   districts shall report by August 1 of each year to the 
  2.3   commissioner of education on implementation of the coordination 
  2.4   of instructional and noninstructional programs and services and 
  2.5   any district cost savings by providing the coordinated, merged, 
  2.6   or coordinated and merged programs and services during the 
  2.7   preceding year. 
  2.8      Sec. 2.  [APPROPRIATION.] 
  2.9      $....... is appropriated in fiscal year 2005 from the 
  2.10  general fund to the commissioner of education for school 
  2.11  innovation and cooperative planning grants under section 1.