School districts authorized to cooperate and share expenses to operate and maintain an ice arena.

HF 1258 allows Minnesota school districts to form cooperation agreements to jointly operate and maintain ice arenas, sharing expenses across multiple districts. It amends state law to permit two or more districts to create formal agreements for apportioning costs and levies, requiring them to report these arrangements to the Department of Education. The bill also mandates that any district operating an ice arena must demonstrate equal access to ice time and team support for male and female athletes, particularly for girls' ice sports programs. This law takes effect for taxes payable in 2026 and later.