Signed by Governor Doug Burgum

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to adopt a conference report that appropriates funds for K-12 education.

Highlights:

• Appropriates $1,663,076,373 for the Department of Public Instruction (Sec. 1-1).

• Appropriates $10,916,084 for the School of the Deaf (Sec. 1-3).

• Requires the superintendent of public instruction to calculate the payment to which each school district is entitled based on the state transportation formula as it existed on June 30, 2001, except that the superintendent will provide reimbursement at the rate of (Sec. 8-1):

• $1.11 per mile for school buses having a capacity of ten or more passengers;

• $0.52 per mile for vehicles having a capacity of nine or fewer passengers;

• $0.50 per mile; 

• $0.50 per mile, one way; and

• $0.30 per student for each one-way trip.

• Establishes the appropriation in the grants - program and passthrough line item of this Act is conditioned on the superintendent of public instruction not using federal funds to defray the expenses of the following programs for which state funding is provided in this line item for the biennium beginning July 1, 2021, and ending June 30, 2023 (Sec. 9):

• Adult education matching grants;

• School food services matching grants;

• Program grant pool; and

• Mentoring program.

• Specifies if, after the superintendent of public instruction complies with all statutory payment obligations imposed for the 2019-21 biennium, any amounts of money remain in the integrated formula payments line item, the lesser of $23,887,064 or the remaining amount must be continued into the 2021-23 biennium and the office of management and budget will transfer this amount into the public instruction fund to provide program and passthrough grants (Sec. 15).

• Establishes the annual salary of the superintendent of public instruction is $127,768 through June 30, 2022, and $130,323 thereafter (Sec. 20).

• Prohibits a school district that is cooperating with another school district under a cooperative plan approved by the superintendent of public instruction, and which has taxable property located in the same city as the other school district under the cooperative plan, from being required as part of the cooperative plan to (Sec. 22-2):

• Provide unduplicated grade level services; or

• Share administrative personnel.

• Requires the percentage of reimbursement for the combined salaries of the jointly hired superintendent and business manager or of the jointly hired special education unit director and business manager to be as follows (Sec. 22-3.a):

• If two schools or special education units are cooperating, 10% of the combined salaries;

• If three schools or special education units are cooperating, 15% of the combined salaries;

• If four schools or special education units are cooperating, 20% of the combined salaries; and

• If five or more schools or special education units are cooperating, 25% of the combined salaries.

• Requires school districts receiving funds from the elementary and secondary school emergency relief fund to provide two narrative summary reports to the superintendent of public instruction, including information regarding learning losses of students identified within the district, including subgroup gaps; school district plans to accelerate learning recovery for all students, including closing subgroup gaps; uses of elementary and secondary school emergency relief funds, including the percentage of those funds expended in categories determined by the superintendent of public instruction; and the impact elementary and secondary school emergency relief fund expenditures had on accelerating the learning recovery for the districts' students (Sec. 24).

Full Bill Text

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to pass a bill that appropriates funds for k-12 education and increases the school superintendent salary by $5,000.

Highlights:

• Appropriates $1,663,076,373 for the Department of Public Instruction (Sec. 1-1).

• Appropriates $10,916,084 for the School of the Deaf (Sec. 1-3).

• Requires the superintendent of public instruction to calculate the payment to which each school district is entitled based on the state transportation formula as it existed on June 30, 2001, except that the superintendent will provide reimbursement at the rate of (Sec. 8-1):

• $1.11 per mile for school buses having a capacity of ten or more passengers;

• $0.52 per mile for vehicles having a capacity of nine or fewer passengers;

• $0.50 per mile; 

• $0.50 per mile, one way; and

• $0.30 per student for each one-way trip.

• Establishes the appropriation in the grants - program and passthrough line item of this Act is conditioned on the superintendent of public instruction not using federal funds to defray the expenses of the following programs for which state funding is provided in this line item for the biennium beginning July 1, 2021, and ending June 30, 2023 (Sec. 9):

• Adult education matching grants;

• School food services matching grants;

• Program grant pool; and

• Mentoring program.

• Specifies if, after the superintendent of public instruction complies with all statutory payment obligations imposed for the 2019-21 biennium, any amounts of money remain in the integrated formula payments line item, the lesser of $23,887,064 or the remaining amount must be continued into the 2021-23 biennium and the office of management and budget will transfer this amount into the public instruction fund to provide program and passthrough grants (Sec. 15).

• Establishes the annual salary of the superintendent of public instruction is $127,768 through June 30, 2022, and $130,323 thereafter (Sec. 20).

• Prohibits a school district that is cooperating with another school district under a cooperative plan approved by the superintendent of public instruction, and which has taxable property located in the same city as the other school district under the cooperative plan, from being required as part of the cooperative plan to (Sec. 22-2):

• Provide unduplicated grade level services; or

• Share administrative personnel.

• Requires the percentage of reimbursement for the combined salaries of the jointly hired superintendent and business manager or of the jointly hired special education unit director and business manager to be as follows (Sec. 22-3.a):

• If two schools or special education units are cooperating, 10% of the combined salaries;

• If three schools or special education units are cooperating, 15% of the combined salaries;

• If four schools or special education units are cooperating, 20% of the combined salaries; and

• If five or more schools or special education units are cooperating, 25% of the combined salaries.

• Requires school districts receiving funds from the elementary and secondary school emergency relief fund to provide two narrative summary reports to the superintendent of public instruction, including information regarding learning losses of students identified within the district, including subgroup gaps; school district plans to accelerate learning recovery for all students, including closing subgroup gaps; uses of elementary and secondary school emergency relief funds, including the percentage of those funds expended in categories determined by the superintendent of public instruction; and the impact elementary and secondary school emergency relief fund expenditures had on accelerating the learning recovery for the districts' students (Sec. 24).

Full Bill Text