Education Finance

This bill proposes a constitutional amendment to modify how Minnesota's permanent school fund is invested, managed, and distributed to school districts. The key change would require the fund to be managed as a perpetual resource that preserves its purchasing power over time while providing annual distributions to support schools without raising individual taxes. The amendment establishes a board of investment led by the governor, state auditor, secretary of state, and attorney general, and prohibits the use of state funds to underwrite municipal securities. If approved by voters in 2026, the new policy would take effect on July 1, 2027, with specific rules for calculating distributable amounts and handling investment gains and losses.

This bill authorizes funding for schools in Minnesota to create anonymous systems where students and staff can report threats without revealing their identities. The state will provide grants to school districts, charter schools, and tribal schools, requiring recipients to contribute at least half of the project costs from their own funds. The money can be used to set up, run, and maintain these reporting tools, as well as to pay staff who respond to the threats received. To ensure fair distribution, the program must award grants to schools across all geographic regions, with at least half going to areas outside the major metropolitan area. Additionally, the bill requires annual reports detailing how the grant money was awarded and spent by each school.

This bill requires Minnesota schools to provide at least 16 hours of paid orientation or professional development annually to paraprofessionals, Title I aides, and other instructional support staff. To help cover these costs, the state will reimburse schools for the wages and related taxes associated with this training, starting in the 2025 fiscal year. Additionally, the legislation sets higher minimum starting salaries for nonlicensed school personnel and mandates that schools consult with employee representatives when planning this training.

This bill modifies how Minnesota school districts must notify voters about operating referendum ballots, specifically regarding the renewal of existing property tax levies. It allows school boards to renew an expiring referendum without holding a new election, provided the renewal maintains the same per-pupil tax amount as the previous year and the original ballot included a specific statement about this renewal option. The legislation also updates the required language on ballots to clarify that the authorization applies for a set number of years and simplifies how tax increases are described to voters. These changes take effect for referenda conducted on or after July 1, 2026.

SF 3593 proposes a constitutional amendment to change how Minnesota's Permanent School Fund calculates annual distributions to school districts. It replaces the current "investment income" formula with a new "distributable amount" based on 4.5% of the fund's average net asset value over the previous three fiscal years. This change aims to ensure more stable, predictable annual payments while preserving the fund's long-term value for future school funding. The amendment requires voter approval at the 2026 general election and would take effect July 1, 2027. School districts across Minnesota would directly receive these revised annual distributions.