Student support personnel aid authorized to be used for costs of certain licensed special education teachers.

A bill for an act

relating to education; authorizing student support personnel aid to be used for costs

of certain licensed special education teachers; amending Minnesota Statutes 2025

Supplement, section 124D.901, subdivisions 1, 4, by adding a subdivision.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

Section 1.

Minnesota Statutes 2025 Supplement, section 124D.901, subdivision 1, is

amended to read:

Subdivision 1.

Definitions.

For the purposes of this section, the following terms have

the meanings given:

(1) "new position" means a student support services personnel full-time or part-time

position not under contract by a school district, charter school, or cooperative unit at the

start of the 2022-2023 school year;

(2) "part-time position" means a student support services personnel position less than

1.0 full-time equivalent at the start of the 2022-2023 school year; and

(3) "student support services personnel" means
new text begin
:
new text end

new text begin

(i)
new text end
an individual licensed to serve as a school counselor, school psychologist, school

social worker, school nurse, or chemical dependency counselor in Minnesota
deleted text begin
.
deleted text end
new text begin
; or
new text end

new text begin

(ii) a special education teacher licensed in Minnesota as an academic and behavioral

strategist, or in developmental disabilities, emotional or behavioral disorders, learning

disabilities, or autism spectrum disorders.

new text end

new text begin

EFFECTIVE DATE.

new text end

new text begin

This section is effective for revenue in fiscal year 2027 and later.

new text end

Sec. 2.

Minnesota Statutes 2025 Supplement, section 124D.901, subdivision 4, is amended

to read:

Subd. 4.

Allowed uses.

(a) Aid under this section must be used to enhance student

support services by:

(1) increasing new student support services personnel positions;

(2) increasing a current student support services personnel position that is less than 1.0

full-time equivalent to a greater number of service hours; or

(3) making permanent a student support services personnel position hired using onetime

resources.

(b) Cooperative student support personnel aid must be transferred to the intermediate

district or other cooperative unit of which the district is a member and used to hire new

positions for student support services personnel or increase a current position that is less

than 1.0 full-time equivalent to a greater number of service hours or make permanent a

position hired using onetime resources at the intermediate district or cooperative unit.

(c) If a school district, charter school, or cooperative unit does not receive at least two

applications and is not able to hire a new full-time equivalent position with student support

personnel aid or use the aid as otherwise provided under subdivision 4a, the aid may be

used for contracted services from
deleted text begin
individuals
deleted text end
licensed
deleted text begin
to serve as a school counselor, school

psychologist, school social worker, school nurse, or chemical dependency counselor in

Minnesota
deleted text end
new text begin
individuals serving as student support services personnel
new text end
.

(d) In addition to the personnel uses authorized under paragraphs (a), (b), and (c) and

subdivision 4a, a district, charter school, or cooperative unit may use up to $5,000 of student

support personnel aid each year for the following purposes:

(1) to cover the costs of providing training or job-embedded coaching; or

(2) to cover the costs of student support personnel travel among school sites operated

by a single district, charter school, or cooperative unit, or among school sites operated by

a cooperative unit's member districts or a group of charter schools.

new text begin

EFFECTIVE DATE.

new text end

new text begin

This section is effective for revenue in fiscal year 2027 and later.

new text end

Sec. 3.

Minnesota Statutes 2025 Supplement, section 124D.901, is amended by adding a

subdivision to read:

new text begin

Subd. 6.

new text end

new text begin

Accounting.

new text end

new text begin

Costs paid by student support personnel aid under this section

must not be included in the calculation of special education expenditures under section

125A.76. The commissioner may establish procedures to ensure that any costs reimbursed

under this section are excluded from other school revenue calculations.

new text end

new text begin

EFFECTIVE DATE.

new text end

new text begin

This section is effective for revenue in fiscal year 2027 and later.

new text end