Senate Bill No. 2150 Summary

• Student Information System: Requires all school districts to acquire and use PowerSchool as their principal student information system, with state aid forwarded to the information technology department for costs.

• Regional Education Associations: Establishes criteria for school district participation in regional education associations, including minimum land mass and student enrollment requirements, and mandates shared administrative functions and student services with phased implementation over five years.

• Teacher Support Program: Creates a teacher support program administered by the education standards and practices board to provide mentoring and support for first-year and non-first-year teachers, with funding for staff compensation and training.

• Scholarship Changes: Modifies North Dakota academic and career/technical education scholarship requirements, including coursework specifics and allows one-time exception for students with cumulative GPAs below 2.75.

• State Aid and Funding: Sets per student payment rates ($3,210 and $3,979 for biennium years), provides appropriations for rapid enrollment growth grants ($5 million), kindergarten support ($625,000), and transportation grants; includes transition payments for isolated schools and alternative middle school grants ($300,000).