AB961: Bill Text

Under current law, school boards may enter into contracts with individuals, groups, businesses, or governmental bodies to establish charter schools, which operate with fewer constraints than traditional public schools. Current law also permits the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, the University of Wisconsin-Parkside, the Milwaukee Area Technical College, and the city of Milwaukee to operate charter schools (independent charter schools) directly or to contract for the operation of charter schools.

For the University of Wisconsin-Parkside charter school, current law limits the enrollment to 400 pupils. This bill increases the limit to 480 pupils beginning in the 2006-07 school year.

For further information see the state and local fiscal estimate, which will be printed as an appendix to this bill.

The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do enact as follows:

AB961, s. 1 Section 1. 115.38 (3) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB961,3,5 115.38 (3) Annually, the state superintendent shall publish and distribute to the legislature under s. 13.172 (2) a summary of the reports under sub. (2) and a summary of the results of the tests administered under ss. 118.30 (1s) (a) to (c) and 119.23 (7) (b) to pupils attending private schools under s. 119.23.

AB961, s. 2 Section 2. 118.30 (1g) (a) 1. of the statutes is amended to read:

AB961,4,5 118.30 (1g) (a) 1. By August 1, 1998, each school board shall adopt pupil academic standards in mathematics, science, reading and writing, geography, and history. If the governor has issued The school board may adopt the pupil academic standards issued by the governor as an executive order under s. 14.23, the school board may adopt those standards no. 326, dated January 13, 1998.

AB961, s. 3 Section 3. 118.30 (1g) (a) 3. of the statutes is created to read:

AB961,4,11 118.30 (1g) (a) 3. The governing body of each private school participating in the program under s. 119.23 shall adopt pupil academic standards in mathematics, science, reading and writing, geography, and history. The governing body of the private school may adopt the pupil academic standards issued by the governor as executive order no. 326, dated January 13, 1998.

AB961, s. 4 Section 4. 118.30 (1g) (c) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB961,4,21 118.30 (1g) (c) Each school board operating elementary grades and, each operator of a charter school under s. 118.40 (2r) that operates elementary grades, and the governing body of each private school participating in the program under s. 119.23 that operates elementary grades may develop or adopt its own examination designed to measure pupil attainment of knowledge and concepts in the 4th grade and may develop or adopt its own examination designed to measure pupil attainment of knowledge and concepts in the 8th grade. If the school board or, operator of the charter school, or governing body of the private school develops or adopts an examination under this paragraph, it shall notify the department.

AB961, s. 5 Section 5. 118.30 (1s) of the statutes is created to read:

AB961,4,24 118.30 (1s) Annually, the governing body of each private school participating in the program under s. 119.23 shall do all of the following:

AB961,5,3 (a) 1. Except as provided in sub. (6), administer the 4th grade examination adopted or approved by the state superintendent under sub. (1) to all pupils attending the 4th grade in the private school under s. 119.23.

AB961,5,6 2. If the governing body of the private school has developed or adopted its own 4th grade examination, administer that examination to all pupils attending the 4th grade in the private school under s. 119.23.

AB961,5,9 (b) 1. Except as provided in sub. (6), administer the 8th grade examination adopted or approved by the state superintendent under sub. (1) to all pupils attending the 8th grade in the private school under s. 119.23.

AB961,5,12 2. If the governing body of the private school has developed or adopted its own 8th grade examination, administer that examination to all pupils attending the 8th grade in the private school under s. 119.23.

AB961,5,14 (c) Administer the 10th grade examination to all pupils attending the 10th grade in the private school under s. 119.23.

AB961,5,17 (d) Administer to pupils attending the private school under s. 119.23 the examinations that the department requires to be administered to public school pupils under 20 USC 6311 (b) (3) and (7).

AB961, s. 6 Section 6. 118.30 (2) (b) 1. and 2. of the statutes are amended to read:

AB961,5,22 118.30 (2) (b) 1. If a pupil is enrolled in a special education program under subch. V of ch. 115, the school board or, operator of the charter school under s. 118.40 (2r), or governing body of the private school participating in the program under s. 119.23 shall comply with s. 115.77 (1m) (bg).

AB961,6,4 2. According to criteria established by the state superintendent by rule, the school board or, operator of the charter school under s. 118.40 (2r), or governing body of the private school participating in the program under s. 119.23 may determine not to administer an examination under sub. (1s) (a) to (c) to a limited-English speaking pupil, as defined under s. 115.955 (7), may permit the pupil to be examined in his or her native language, or may modify the format and administration of such an examination for such pupils.

AB961, s. 7 Section 7. 118.30 (2) (b) 5. of the statutes is created to read:

AB961,6,8 118.30 (2) (b) 5. Upon the request of a pupil's parent or guardian, the governing body of a private school participating in the program under s. 119.23 shall excuse the pupil from taking an examination administered under sub. (1s) (a) to (c).

AB961, s. 8 Section 8. 118.30 (6) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB961,6,19 118.30 (6) A school board and, an operator of a charter school under s. 118.40 (2r) is, and the governing body of a private school participating in the program under s. 119.23 are not required to administer the 4th and 8th grade examinations adopted or approved by the state superintendent under sub. (1) if the school board or, the operator of the charter school, or the governing body of the private school administers its own 4th and 8th grade examinations, the school board or , operator of the charter school, or governing body of the private school provides the state superintendent with statistical correlations of those examinations with the examinations adopted or approved by the state superintendent under sub. (1), and the federal department of education approves.

AB961, s. 9 Section 9. 118.40 (2r) (cm) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB961,6,24 118.40 (2r) (cm) The chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Parkside may establish or enter into a contract for the establishment of only one charter school under this subsection, which may not operate high school grades and which may not accommodate more than 400 480 pupils.

AB961, s. 10 Section 10. 118.43 (6) (b) 9. of the statutes, as affected by 2005 Wisconsin Act 25, is amended to read:

AB961,7,8 118.43 (6) (b) 9. In the 2005-06 and any subsequent 2006-07 school year years, $2,000 multiplied by the number of low-income pupils enrolled in grades eligible for funding in each school in the school district covered by renewals of contracts under sub. (2) (g) and in the 2007-08 and any subsequent school year, $2,500 multiplied by the number of low-income pupils enrolled in grades eligible for funding in each school in the school district covered by renewals of contracts under sub. (2) (g).

AB961, s. 11 Section 11. 118.43 (6) (c) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB961,7,13 118.43 (6) (c) The amount paid to a school district in any school year under par. (b) may not exceed an amount equal to $2,000 $2,500 multiplied by the number of low-income pupils enrolled in grades eligible for funding in each school in the school district covered by contracts under this section.

AB961, s. 12 Section 12. 119.16 (11) of the statutes is created to read:

AB961,7,19 119.16 (11) Use of funds. The board shall ensure that all state aid received as a result of counting in enrollment the pupils described in s. 121.05 (1) (a) 14. is used to pay teachers and instructional support staff, provide remedial instruction and after-school instruction, and remedy deficiencies in meeting the school district standards under s. 121.02 (1).

AB961, s. 13 Section 13. 119.23 (2) (a) 1. of the statutes is amended to read:

AB961,8,8 119.23 (2) (a) 1. The pupil is a member of a family that has a total family income that does not exceed an amount equal to 1.75 times the poverty level determined in accordance with criteria established by the director of the federal office of management and budget. A pupil attending a private school under this section whose family income increases may continue to attend a private school under this section if the pupil is a member of a family that has a total family income that does not exceed an amount equal to 2.2 times the poverty level determined in accordance with criteria established by the director of the federal office of management and budget. For purposes of admission to a private school under this section, siblings of pupils attending a private school under this section are subject to the higher income limit. If a pupil attending a private school under this section ceases to attend a private school under this section, the lower income limit applies unless the pupil is a sibling of a pupil attending a private school under this section.

AB961, s. 14 Section 14. 119.23 (2) (a) 2. of the statutes is repealed.

AB961, s. 15 Section 15. 119.23 (2) (a) 7. of the statutes is created to read:

AB961,8,17 119.23 (2) (a) 7. The private school achieves accreditation by the Wisconsin North Central Association, the Wisconsin Religious and Independent Schools Accreditation, the Independent Schools Association of the Central States, the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, or any other organization recognized by the National Council for Private School Accreditation, or is approved for scholarship funding by Partners Advancing Values in Education, within 2 years of its initial participation in the program under this section.

AB961, s. 16 Section 16. 119.23 (2) (b) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB961,8,24 119.23 (2) (b) No Beginning in the 2006-07 school year, no more than 15% 18 percent of the school district's membership may attend private schools under this section. If in any school year there are more spaces available in the participating private schools than the maximum number of pupils allowed to participate, the department shall prorate the number of spaces available at each participating private school.

AB961, s. 17 Section 17. 119.23 (7) (b) of the statutes is created to read:

AB961,9,4 119.23 (7) (b) The governing body of each private school participating in the program under this section shall administer to the pupils attending the 3rd grade in the private school under this section a standardized reading test developed by the department.

AB961, s. 18 Section 18. 121.05 (1) (a) 14. of the statutes is created to read:

AB961,9,7 121.05 (1) (a) 14. The following percentage of the number of pupils enrolled in a private school under s. 119.23:

AB961,9,8 a. For the report submitted in 2006, 10 percent.

AB961,9,9 b. For the report submitted in 2007, 20 percent.

AB961,9,10 c. For the report submitted in 2008, 30 percent.

AB961,9,11 d. For the report submitted in 2009, 40 percent.

AB961,9,12 e. For the report submitted in 2010, and each year thereafter, 45 percent.

AB961, s. 19 Section 19. Nonstatutory provisions.

AB961,9,17 (1) Notwithstanding section 119.23 (2) (a) 7. of the statutes, as created by this act, any private school that participated in the program under section 119.23 of the statutes during the 2005-06 school year shall achieve accreditation, as described in section 119.23 (2) (a) 7. of the statutes, as created by this act, by July 1, 2008.

AB961, s. 20 Section 20. Initial applicability.

AB961,9,21 (1) The treatment of section 119.23 (2) (a) 1. and 2. of the statutes first applies to pupils and private schools who intend to participate in the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program in the 2006-07 school year.

AB961,9,23 (2) The treatment of section 121.05 (1) (a) 14. of the statutes first applies to the distribution of school aid in the 2006-07 school year.

AB961, s. 21 Section 21. Effective date.

AB961,10,1 (1) This act takes effect on July 1, 2006.

AB961,10,2 (End)