(Effective through June 30, 2026) 1.    If any school district receiving payments under this chapter cooperates with another school district for the joint provision of educational services under a plan approved by the superintendent of public instruction, the superintendent of public instruction shall, notwithstanding the provisions of section 15.1-27-03.2, create and assign a separate weighting factor that allows the cooperating districts to receive, for a period of four years, a payment rate equivalent to that which each district would have received had the cooperative plan not taken effect. The superintendent of public instruction shall compute the separate weighting factor to four decimal places and that weighting factor is effective for the duration of the cooperative plan.

2.    A school district that is cooperating with another school district under a cooperative plan approved by the superintendent of public instruction, and which has taxable property located in the same city as the other school district under the cooperative plan, may not be required as part of the cooperative plan to:

a.    Provide unduplicated grade level services; or b.    Share administrative personnel.

3.    If any school district in the state receiving payments under this chapter or any special education unit in the state cooperates with another school district or special education unit to jointly employ or contract with a superintendent or a school district business manager, or both, or to jointly employ or contract with a special education unit director or a special education unit business manager, or both, the superintendent of public instruction shall provide partial reimbursement of the salary of the superintendent or the school district business manager, or both, or partial reimbursement of the salary of the special education unit director or the special education unit business manager, or both, as follows:

a.    If the salary exceeds two hundred thousand dollars, the amount of the reimbursement must be calculated based upon two hundred thousand dollars.

Each cooperating school district or special education unit shall receive a prorated share of the reimbursement percentages listed below each year for four years. The prorated reimbursement is based on the percentage of full-time equivalency that the superintendent or school district business manager, or both, or the special education unit director or special education unit business manager, or both, are employed or contracted by each district or special education unit. The percentage of reimbursement for the salary of the jointly hired superintendent or school district business manager, or both, or of the jointly hired special education    unit director or special education unit business manager, or both, must be as follows:

(1) If two schools or special education units are cooperating, ten percent of the salary; (2) If three schools or special education units are cooperating, fifteen percent of the salary; (3) If four schools or special education units are cooperating, twenty percent of the salary; and

(4) If five or more schools or special education units are cooperating, twenty-five percent of the salary.

b.    To be eligible for reimbursement under this subsection, the cooperating school districts or special education units must:

(1) Have been approved by the superintendent of public instruction and have implemented their administrative cost-sharing program after June 30, 2022; and (2) Submit the salary of the superintendent or school district business manager, or both, or the salary of the special education unit director or special education unit business manager, or both, to the superintendent of public instruction by June first of each year.

Per student payments – Cooperating districts. (Effective after June 30, 2026) 1.    If any school district receiving payments under this chapter cooperates with another school district for the joint provision of educational services under a plan approved by the superintendent of public instruction, the superintendent of public instruction shall, notwithstanding the provisions of section 15.1-27-03.2, create and assign a separate weighting factor that allows the cooperating districts to receive, for a period of four years, a payment rate equivalent to that which each district would have received had the cooperative plan not taken effect. The superintendent of public instruction shall compute the separate weighting factor to four decimal places and that weighting factor is effective for the duration of the cooperative plan.

2.    A school district that is cooperating with another school district under a cooperative plan approved by the superintendent of public instruction, and which has taxable property located in the same city as the other school district under the cooperative plan, may not be required as part of the cooperative plan to:

a.    Provide unduplicated grade level services; or b.    Share administrative personnel.