District lobbyist briefs board on 2026 session: $10M stopgap for compensatory revenue, new reporting and licensing rules

Valerie Gosling, the district's lobbyist, opened the board's legislative update with a wide view of the 2026 session and its implications for Osseo area schools. She said a supplemental budget provided $10,000,000 one‑time to ease compensatory‑revenue challenges but that staff had estimated a need of about $55,000,000 to fully stabilize programs. "There was a supplemental budget bill that did provide $10,000,000 in one‑time funding for compensatory revenue," Gosling said.

Gosling identified several other items relevant to district operations: one‑time grants for anonymous threat‑reporting systems; a forecast‑adjustment bill allowing operating capital revenue to pay utility costs; an extension permitting reduced instruction time for teacher training through the 2026–27 school year; and a package of provisions described locally as an "anti‑grooming" bill that expands reporting requirements and gives the statewide licensing body and MDE new notification and training mandates. She also warned of a pending Blue Ribbon Commission recommendation that could produce a $250,000,000 cut to special‑education funding unless the legislature acts on the commission's October 1 report.

Board members asked for clarification on how some changes would apply. One member asked whether the new criminal reporting requirement applies if an incident occurred outside a school setting; staff responded that the new law makes the conduct a crime and that police would be responsible for reporting charges to licensing authorities. The board also discussed an upcoming ballot question about permanent school fund distribution that could shift per‑pupil revenue by roughly $40–$50 per student if approved.