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HF2944 (Legislative Session 94 (2025-2026))

Board of a consolidated school district authorized to renew an expiring referendum established pursuant to the consolidation, and requirements for school board renewal of an expiring referendum clarified.

Related bill: SF3163

AI Generated Summary

Purpose of the Bill

The purpose of this bill is to address the financial aspects of school district consolidation in Minnesota. Specifically, it aims to authorize and clarify the process by which a consolidated school district can renew an expiring referendum related to school funding.

Main Provisions

  • Renewal Authorization: The bill provides the board of a newly consolidated school district with the authority to renew an expiring school funding referendum. This allows the funding method used before the consolidation to continue without interruption.

  • Clarification of Renewal Process: It clarifies how the school board can renew a referendum for up to ten years, irrespective of the duration specified in the referendums prior to the consolidation.

  • Calculation of Revenue Authorization: The bill defines how funding should be calculated after consolidation, stating that the newly formed district will have authorization amounts equal to the combined previous amounts of each individual district. It considers both the average of previous authorities and potential adjustments for inflation or annually increasing amounts.

Significant Changes to Existing Law

  • The bill amends existing statutes to clearly allow renewals of expiring referenda by a consolidated district's school board without needing a new voter approval.

  • It alters how referendum revenue is calculated and continued post-consolidation, taking into account the previous authorities of the individual districts and allowing these to remain unaffected by year-to-year decreases until they fully expire.

Relevant Terms

consolidated school district, referendum renewal, school funding, education finance, district consolidation, referendum revenue, consumer price index-based increases, Minnesota Statutes 2024.

Bill text versions

Actions

DateChamberWhereTypeNameCommittee Name
March 31, 2025HouseFloorActionIntroduction and first reading, referred toEducation Finance
April 02, 2025HouseFloorActionAuthor added
April 02, 2025HouseFloorActionAuthor added

Citations

 
[
  {
    "analysis": {
      "added": [
        "Clarifying the requirements for school board renewal of an expiring referendum."
      ],
      "removed": [
        ""
      ],
      "summary": "The bill modifies the consolidation maximum authorized referendum revenues under section 123A.73.",
      "modified": [
        "Adjusts calculations and terms relating to renewed referendum revenues."
      ]
    },
    "citation": "123A.73",
    "subdivision": "subdivision 4"
  },
  {
    "analysis": {
      "added": [
        ""
      ],
      "removed": [
        ""
      ],
      "summary": "The bill impacts the recalculation of referendum revenue authorization in a consolidated school district.",
      "modified": [
        "Recalculation method for referendum revenue authorizations in newly created districts."
      ]
    },
    "citation": "126C.17",
    "subdivision": "subdivision 9"
  },
  {
    "analysis": {
      "added": [
        "Details on term limits and renewal process for referendum revenue authorization."
      ],
      "removed": [
        ""
      ],
      "summary": "This section allows the school board of a newly created consolidated district to renew referendum revenue authorizations.",
      "modified": [
        ""
      ]
    },
    "citation": "126C.17",
    "subdivision": "subdivision 9b"
  }
]

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