This bill clarifies the allowable uses of student support personnel aid in Minnesota. It amends Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 124D.901, subdivision 4, to specify that the aid must be used for:

• Hiring new student support services personnel.
  
• Increasing the hours of existing positions that are less than full-time.
  
• Making permanent positions that were funded using one-time federal COVID-19 relief funds.
  
• Maintaining positions that would otherwise be eliminated.
  

Additionally, the bill mandates that cooperative student support personnel aid must be transferred to the relevant intermediate district or cooperative unit for similar hiring and retention purposes.

If a school district, charter school, or cooperative unit cannot hire a new full-time equivalent position due to a lack of applicants (at least two required), they may use the aid to contract services from licensed professionals such as school counselors, psychologists, social workers, nurses, or chemical dependency counselors.

Finally, the bill allows for the use of aid to maintain existing student support personnel positions, including those established before the 2023-2024 school year, if a superintendent or charter school director certifies that without this funding, the positions would be eliminated.