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Senate Language (S0946-1)
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Comparison
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House Language (UES0946-4)
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Section 1. School districts’ joint operation and innovative delivery of education; pilot project.
Subd. 1. Establishment; requirements for participation. (a) Establishes a four-year pilot project to allow groups of school districts to jointly deliver innovative education programs and activities and share resources.
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S.F. establishes four-year pilot; H.F. establishes five-year pilot.
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Section 1. Innovative delivery of education services and sharing district resources; pilot project.
Subd. 1. Establishment; requirement for participation. (a) Establishes a five-year pilot project for the 2013-2014 through 2017-2018 school years to improve student and school outcomes by allowing school districts to work together to provide innovative education programs and activities and share district resources.
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(b) Directs groups of three or more interested school districts to form a joint partnership to share elements common to all partners in providing innovative delivery of education programs and activities and share resources. Allows member school districts selected by the commissioner to participate in the pilot project to admit other interested school districts into the partnership.
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H.F. declares purpose to improve student and school outcomes. S.F. requires at least three districts and H.F. requires at least two districts to form a partnership.
H.F. requires plan to provide students with challenging programmatic options, create professional development opportunities, increase student engagement and challenging student learning opportunities, or demonstrate efficiencies in delivering financial and other services. S.F. & H.F. list similar plan components including a “catch-all” of other terms.
S.F. and H.F. allow other districts to join partnership.
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(b) Directs groups of two or more interested school districts to collaborate with school staff and receive formal school board approval to form a partnership. Requires the partnership to develop a plan to provide programmatic options for students, professional development opportunities for educators, increase student engagement and connection, or demonstrate efficiencies in delivering financial and other services. Requires the plan to establish: collaborative goals and objectives, strategies and processes for implementing the goals and objectives, measures to evaluate progress, an implementation timeline, and other terms needed to fully implement the plan. Allows a partnership to invite additional districts to join the partnership after notifying the commissioner.
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(c) Requires interested partnerships to apply to the commissioner in the form and manner the commissioner prescribes. Requires project applicants to include in the application: a formal school board agreement identifying the specific joint uses the participating school district intends to pursue; and a plan for a two-to-four year term to provide innovative delivery of education programs and activities and share resources. Requires the plan to describe: the educational objectives and processes for seeking advice and collaboration and managing the project; budget arrangements; administrative structures for implementing and evaluating the plan; and other terms needed to implement the plan.
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H.F. requires applications by 2/1/13. S.F. does not specify a specific date for applications. S.F. and H.F. list similar plan components including a “catch-all” of other terms.
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(c) Requires interested and qualified districts to apply to the commissioner by February 1, 2013. Requires the application to contain the formal board approval from each participating district.
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(d) Requires partnership members to comply with the laws applicable to charter schools and otherwise exempts partnership members from laws applicable to public schools. |
No comparable provision. S.F. makes participants subject to the same laws as charter schools and exempts participants from the same laws as charter schools. |
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(e) Declares that school districts participating in this pilot project continue to receive revenue and maintain their taxing authority as if they were a school district and not participating in this pilot project.
(f) Declares that school districts participating in this pilot project continue to be organized and governed by an elected school board with general school board powers as if they were a school district and not participating in this pilot project. |
Similar. H.F. declares district employees remain employees of the employing district. |
(d) Declares that participating districts continue: to receive revenue and maintain taxing authority; be organized and governed by an elected school board with general statutory powers; and be subject to existing employment agreements and retain district employees. |
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Subd. 2. Role of the commissioner. Directs the education commissioner, using available department resources and staff, to select up to six applicants throughout the state to participate in this pilot project. Allows the commissioner to consider only those applicants that fully comply with the requirements for participation in subdivision 1. |
H.F. directs commissioner to convene an advisory panel with specified members. S.F. allows up to six applicants; H.F. directs the commissioner to select between three and six applicants. S.F. and H.F. seek applicants from throughout the state. H.F. requires commissioner to terminate a failing participant. |
Subd. 2. Commissioner’s role. Requires interested school districts to submit a completed application to the commissioner by March 1, 2013. Directs the commissioner to convene an advisory panel to advise the commissioner on applicants’ qualifications. Directs the education commissioner to select between three and six qualified applicants by April 1, 2013, and ensure an equitable geographical distribution of participants to the extent practicable. Requires the commissioner to terminate a project participant that fails to effectively implement its goals and objectives according to its stated timeline. |
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Subd. 3. Pilot project evaluation. Directs the commissioner to gather and evaluate data on partnerships’ success in delivering innovative education programs and activities and sharing resources. Directs the commissioner to use the data in preparing a report to submit to the legislature by February 1, 2016, on the pilot project’s success and recommend whether to expand the pilot project. |
Similar evaluations. S.F. requires report by 2/1/16. H.F. allows interim report and requires final report by 2/1/18. |
Subd. 3. Pilot project evaluation. Directs participating districts to submit project data to the commissioner for the commissioner to analyze districts’ progress and best practices and submit a final report to the legislature by February 1, 2018, recommending whether or not to continue or expand the pilot project. |
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No comparable provision |
Subd. 4. Existing resources. Requires the commissioner to use existing resources to fund the duties under this section. |
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Makes this section effective for the 2011-20123 through 2014-2015 school years. |
S.F. reflects four-year term; H.F. reflects five-year term. |
Makes this section effective for the 2013-2014 through 2017-2018 school years. |