Bill Summary

• Modifies homeless student enrollment and transportation requirements, allowing homeless pupils to continue enrollment in their original district and requiring responsible districts to provide transportation to students' district of residence.

• Expands postsecondary enrollment options for 10th-12th grade students to include career and technical education courses at Minnesota state colleges and universities, with specific requirements for 10th graders regarding 8th grade reading assessments.

• Establishes early graduation scholarship programs ($2,500-$7,500) and military service award programs for students graduating early, with funding transferred from general education appropriations.

• Creates new provisions for charter school governance including longer initial contract terms (up to 5 years), merger provisions, collaboration agreements with school districts, and expanded board transparency requirements for website publication of meeting minutes and authorizer information.

• Implements various education policy changes including site decision-making improvements focused on individualized learning, teacher evaluation requirements linked to student achievement data, and increased career and technical education levy limits for certain years.