Safe schools revenue increase

A bill for an act

relating to education finance; increasing safe schools revenue; making safe schools

revenue available to charter schools, cooperative units, nonpublic schools, and

Tribal contract schools; appropriating money; amending Minnesota Statutes 2024,

section 126C.44.

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

Section 1.

Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 126C.44, is amended to read:

126C.44 SAFE SCHOOLS REVENUE.

Subdivision 1.

Safe schools revenue for school districts.

A school district's safe schools

revenue equals its safe schools levy.

Subd. 2.

School district safe schools levy.

A school district's safe schools levy equals

$36 times the district's adjusted pupil units for the school year.

Subd. 3.

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Cooperative units
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safe schools revenue
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for intermediate school districts
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.

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(a)
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A school district that is a member of an intermediate school district may include in its levy

authority under this section the costs associated with safe schools activities authorized under

this section for intermediate school district programs. This authority must not exceed the

product of $15 and the adjusted pupil units of the member districts. This authority is in

addition to any other authority authorized under this section. Revenue raised under this

subdivision must be transferred to the intermediate school district.

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(b) For a school district that is a member of a cooperative unit other than an intermediate

school district, the school district's cooperative unit safe schools aid equals $36 times the

member district's pupil units for the year.

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(c) A school district's cooperative unit safe schools aid must be paid to the cooperative

unit in the form and manner specified by the commissioner.

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(d) For purposes of this section, a school district must designate only one cooperative

unit as the recipient of its cooperative unit state aid in the form and manner specified by the

commissioner.

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(e) For purposes of this section, cooperative unit has the meaning given in section

123A.24, subdivision 2.

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Subd. 3a.

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Safe schools aid for charter schools.

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For fiscal year 2027 and later, safe

schools aid for a charter school equals $36 times the adjusted pupil units for the school year.

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Subd. 3b.

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Safe schools aid for nonpublic schools.

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(a) For fiscal year 2027 and later,

safe schools aid for a nonpublic school equals $36 times the school's enrollment for the

school year.

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(b) A nonpublic school must report enrollment and other necessary information to the

commissioner in the form and manner specified by the commissioner. The commissioner

must establish a payment schedule for safe schools aid for nonpublic schools.

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(c) For purposes of this section, nonpublic school has the meaning given in section

123B.41, subdivision 9.

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Subd. 3c.

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Safe schools aid for American Indian Tribal contract schools.

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Safe schools

aid for an American Indian Tribal contract school eligible for aid under section 124D.83

equals $36 times the pupil units for the school year calculated under section 124D.83,

subdivision 2.

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Subd. 4.

Use of safe schools revenue.

(a) Safe schools revenue must be reserved and

used for directly funding the following purposes or for reimbursing the cities and counties

who contract with the
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district
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school
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for the following purposes:

(1) to pay the costs incurred for the salaries, benefits, and transportation costs of peace

officers and sheriffs for liaison in services in the
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district's
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schools;

(2) to pay the costs for a drug abuse prevention program as defined in section
609.101,

subdivision 3
, paragraph (e), in the elementary schools;

(3) to pay the costs for a gang resistance education training curriculum in the
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district's
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schools;

(4) to pay the costs for security in the
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district's
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schools and on school property;

(5) to pay the costs for other crime prevention, drug abuse, student and staff safety,

voluntary opt-in suicide prevention tools, and violence prevention measures taken by the

school
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district
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;

(6) to pay costs for licensed school counselors, licensed school nurses, licensed school

social workers, licensed school psychologists, and licensed alcohol and substance use

disorder counselors to help provide early responses to problems;

(7) to pay for facility security enhancements including laminated glass, public

announcement systems, emergency communications devices, and equipment and facility

modifications related to violence prevention and facility security;

(8) to pay for costs associated with improving the school climate;

(9) to pay costs for colocating and collaborating with mental health professionals who

are not
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district
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school
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employees or contractors
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or for school-linked mental health services

delivered by telehealth
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; or

(10) to pay for the costs of cybersecurity measures, including updating computer hardware

and software, other systems upgrades, and cybersecurity insurance costs.

(b) For expenditures under paragraph (a), clause (1), the
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school
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district must initially

attempt to contract for services to be provided by peace officers or sheriffs with the police

department of each city or the sheriff's department of the county within the district containing

the school receiving the services. If a local police department or a county sheriff's department

does not wish to provide the necessary services, the district may contract for these services

with any other police or sheriff's department located entirely or partially within the school

district's boundaries.

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EFFECTIVE DATE.

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

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Sec. 2.
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APPROPRIATION; SAFE SCHOOLS AID.
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Subdivision 1.

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Department of Education.

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The sum indicated in this section is

appropriated from the general fund to the Department of Education in the fiscal year

designated.

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Subd. 2.

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Safe schools aid.

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For safe schools aid under Minnesota Statutes, section

126C.44:

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$

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.......

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.....

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2027

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