The bill expands eligibility for reimbursement under the school breakfast
program to include operators of independent charter schools, the director of the
Wisconsin Educational Services Program for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, the
director of the Wisconsin Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired, and operators
of residential care centers for children and youth. The bill also prohibits DPI from
making a reimbursement for a breakfast served at a school in the previous school
year if that school ceased operations during the prior school year. This prohibition
does not apply to reimbursements to a school district.
Locally sourced food incentive payments
The bill requires DPI to reimburse a school food authority 10 cents for each
school meal it provided in the previous school year that contained locally sourced
food. Under the bill, a “school food authority” is an educational entity that
participates in the federal school lunch program and a “school meal” is a lunch or
snack provided under the federal school lunch program or a breakfast provided
under the federal school breakfast program. Finally, the bill defines “locally sourced
food” as food that is raised, produced, aggregated, sorted, processed, and distributed
within this state.
Driver education; state aid
The bill creates a new aid program for driver schools and for school boards,
independent charter schools, and CESAs that offer a driver education program to
pupils who meet the income eligibility standard for a free or reduced-price lunch in
the federal school lunch program. To be eligible for this aid, a driver school, school
board, independent charter school, or CESA must demonstrate to DPI that it waived
its program participation fees for eligible pupils. Under the bill, DPI pays the driver
school, school board, operator of the independent charter school, or CESA an amount
equal to its program participation fee multiplied by the number of eligible pupils who
completed the driver education program in the previous school year.
Computer science course requirement and grants
The bill requires school boards, independent charter schools, and private
schools participating in a parental choice program to make available to pupils in
grades 9 to 12 at least one computer science course, which must include concepts in
computer programming or coding.
The bill also requires DPI to annually award grants to school districts for the
purpose of expanding computer science educational opportunities in all grade levels
in the school district.
Financial literacy curriculum grants
The bill requires DPI to awards grants to school boards and independent
charter schools for the purpose of developing, implementing, or improving financial
literacy curricula. The bill further requires DPI to prioritize grants that support
innovative financial literacy curricula. Current law requires school boards to adopt
academic standards for financial literacy and incorporate financial literacy
instruction into the curriculum in grades kindergarten to 12.
Primary and secondary education: choice, charter, and open enrollment
Parental choice program caps
The bill caps the total number of pupils who may participate in the Milwaukee
Parental Choice Program, the Racine Parental Choice Program, or the statewide
parental choice program (parental choice program) at the number of pupils who
attended a private school under the parental choice program in the 2023-24 school
year. Under the bill, beginning in the 2024-25 school year, if the number of
applications to participate in a parental choice program exceeds the program cap,
DPI must determine which applications to accept on a random basis, subject to
certain admission preferences that exist under current law.
Under current law, pupils may submit applications to attend a private school
under the statewide parental choice program for the following school year from the
first weekday in February to the third Thursday in April, and a private school that
receives applications must, no later than the first weekday in May immediately
following the application period, report the number of applicants to DPI so that DPI
may determine whether a pupil participation limitation has been exceeded. The bill
provides that, beginning with applications for the 2024-25 school year, DPI must
establish one or more application periods during which pupils may submit
applications to attend a private school under the MPCP or RPCP. The bill provides
that a private school that receives applications during an application period must,
no later than 10 days after the application period ends, report the number of
applicants to DPI so that DPI may determine whether a program cap has been
exceeded. The bill does not change the application period for the statewide parental
choice program and requires DPI to use the information required to be reported
under current law to determine whether the program cap for the statewide parental
choice program has been exceeded.
The bill also requires DPI to establish a waiting list for a parental choice
program if the program cap for the parental choice program has been exceeded.
Special Needs Scholarship Program cap
Under current law, a child with a disability who meets certain eligibility criteria
may receive a scholarship to attend a private school participating in the Special
Needs Scholarship Program (SNSP). The bill caps the total number of children who
may receive an SNSP scholarship at the number of children who received an SNSP
scholarship in the 2023-24 school year. Under the bill, beginning in the 2024-25
school year, if the number of applications for SNSP scholarships exceeds the program
cap, DPI must determine which applications to accept on a random basis, subject to
certain admission preferences set forth in the bill.
Under current law, a child may apply for an SNSP scholarship at any time
during a school year and may begin attending the school at any time during the
school year. The bill provides that, beginning with applications for the 2024-25
school year, children may submit applications for SNSP scholarships for the school
year from the first weekday in April to the third Thursday in June of the prior school
year, and a private school that receives applications for SNSP scholarships must, no
later than the first weekday in May immediately following the application period,
report the number of applicants to DPI so that DPI may determine whether the
program cap has been exceeded.
The bill also requires DPI to establish a waiting list if the program cap for the
SNSP has been exceeded.
Per pupil payment and transfer amount based on actual costs; SNSP and
full-time open enrollment program
Under current law, the per pupil payment amount for a child participating in
the SNSP and the transfer amount for a child with a disability in the full-time open
enrollment program (OEP) is one of the following:
1. A per pupil amount set by law. The SNSP per pupil payment amount and
transfer amount for a child with a disability in the OEP for the 2022-23 school year
is $13,076.
2. An alternative amount based on the actual costs to educate the pupil in the
previous school year, as reported by the private school or nonresident school district,
whichever is applicable. For example, under this option, the amount paid to a private
school in the SNSP or nonresident school district in the 2022-23 school year is based
on the actual costs to educate the pupil in the 2021-22 school year, as reported by the
private school or nonresident school district.
The bill repeals the alternative SNSP per pupil payment amount and OEP
transfer amount based on the actual costs to educate the pupil and the processes for
setting these alternative amounts. Under the bill, the SNSP per pupil payment
amount and the OEP transfer amount for children with disabilities is the same for
all pupils and is set by law. In the 2022-23 school year, the amount set by law is
$13,076.
Payment indexing: parental choice programs, the SNSP, independent
charter schools, full-time open enrollment program, and whole grade
sharing agreements
Under current law, the per pupil payment amounts under parental choice
programs and the SNSP, the per pupil payment amount to independent charter
schools, the transfer amounts under the full-time OEP, and the required transfer
amount for a child with a disability in a whole grade sharing agreement (collectively,
per pupil payments) are adjusted annually. The annual adjustment for per pupil
payments is an amount equal to the sum of any per member revenue limit increase
that applies to school districts in that school year and any per member increase in
categorical aids between the current school year and the previous school year. Under
the bill, beginning in the 2023-24 school year, the annual adjustment for per pupil
payments is the sum of the per member revenue limit increase that applies to school
districts in that school year, if any, and the increase in the per member amount of per
pupil aid paid to school districts between the previous school year and the current
school year, if any.
Teacher licensure in parental choice programs and in the SNSP
With certain exceptions, the bill requires that, beginning on July 1, 2026,
teachers at private schools participating in a parental choice program or in the SNSP
must hold a license or permit issued by DPI. Under current law, teachers at choice
schools must have at least a bachelor's degree from a nationally or regionally
accredited institution of higher education, but they are not required to be licensed
by DPI. There are no current law requirements regarding who may teach at SNSP
schools.
The bill provides an exception for a teacher who teaches only courses in
rabbinical studies. In addition, the bill provides a grace period for a teacher who has
been teaching for at least the five consecutive years immediately preceding July 1,
2026, which allows the teacher to apply for a temporary, nonrenewable waiver of the
licensure requirement. An applicant for a waiver must submit a plan for becoming
licensed as required under the bill.
SNSP; accreditation or participation in another choice program
The bill provides that, with certain exceptions explained below, a private school
may participate in the SNSP only if 1) the private school is accredited by August 1
of the school year in which the private school participates or 2) the private school
participates in a parental choice program. Under current law, a private school may
participate in the SNSP if the private school is accredited or if the private school's
educational program meets certain criteria.
The bill provides that, if a private school is participating in the SNSP in the
2023-24 school year and is not accredited by August 1, 2023, the private school must
1) obtain preaccreditation by August 1, 2024; 2) apply for accreditation by December
31, 2024; and 3) obtain accreditation by December 31, 2027.
SNSP; religious opt out
The bill provides that a private school participating in the SNSP must allow a
child attending the private school under the SNSP to refrain from participating in
any religious activity if the child's parent submits to the child's teacher or the private
school's principal a written request that the child be exempt from such activities.
Primary and secondary education: administrative and other funding
Early literacy and reading improvement
The bill requires DPI to establish a literacy coaching program to improve
literacy outcomes statewide. The literacy coaching program must include two types
of literacy coaches. The first type of literacy coach supports the implementation of
evidence-based literacy instructional practices in grades kindergarten to 12 in
school districts and independent charter schools (literacy instructional practices
coach). Specifically, a literacy instructional practices coach collaborates with a
participating school district or independent charter school to establish goals for
literacy outcomes for specific grade levels and literacy areas and provide ongoing
support to meet the identified goals. The second type of literacy coach focuses on
early literacy instructional transitions by providing in-person trainings for
four-year-old kindergarten to first grade teachers (early literacy transition coach).
The purpose of these trainings is to evaluate existing early literacy curricula and
goals and to assist school districts and independent charter schools to create local,
standards-aligned, and developmentally appropriate curricula and instruction for
four-year-old kindergarten to first grade pupils.
The bill requires each urban school district, which is defined as a school district
in which at least 16,000 pupils were enrolled in the previous school year, to
participate in both types of coaching provided under the literacy coaching program.
Other school districts and independent charter schools may choose to participate in
one or both types of coaching provided under the literacy coaching program. Under
the bill, DPI must make a payment to a school district or independent charter school
that participates in the literacy coaching program. For coaching provided by a
literacy instructional practices coach, the bill requires a payment of $7,000, and for
participating in training provided by an early literacy transition coach, the bill
requires a payment of $6,000.
The bill requires DPI to contract with a certain number of individuals to serve
as literacy coaches and to assign those individuals to geographic regions of this state.
Specifically, the bill requires DPI to assign one literacy instructional practices coach
and one early literacy transition coach to each urban school district and one literacy
instructional practices coach and one early literacy transition coach for each 40,000
pupils enrolled in school districts and independent charter schools located in a CESA
region. Based on this formula, DPI estimates that it will be required to contract for
28 literacy instructional practices coaches and 28 early literacy transition coaches.
Grow Your Own programs
The bill creates a new grant program that is administered by DPI and available
to school districts and operators of independent charter schools to reimburse the cost
of Grow Your Own programs. Under the bill, Grow Your Own programs include high
school clubs that encourage careers in teaching, payment of costs associated with
current staff acquiring education needed for licensure, support for career pathways
using dual enrollment, support for partnerships focused on attracting or developing
new teachers, or incentives for paraprofessionals to gain licensure. The bill
appropriates funding for this purpose in fiscal year 2024-25.
Stipends for student teachers and cooperating teachers
The bill provides stipends, through DPI, to student teachers who are
completing a teacher preparatory program approved by the superintendent of public
instruction and to teachers who oversee a student teacher in their classrooms. The
stipends are $2,500 per student teacher per semester and $1,000 per cooperating
teacher per semester. Under the bill, DPI begins paying these stipends in the
2024-25 school year.
Teacher improvement program stipends
Under current law, DPI operates a teacher improvement program to provide
prospective teachers with one-semester internships under the supervision of
licensed teachers, in-service activities, and professional staff development research
projects.
Under the bill, DPI provides stipends to individuals who are participating in
the teacher improvement program. The stipends are $9,600 per individual per
semester, and begin in the 2024-25 school year.
Bullying prevention grants
Under current law, the state superintendent of public instruction must award
grants to nonprofit organizations to provide training and an online bullying
prevention curriculum for pupils in grades kindergarten to eight. The bill expands
the purpose of these grants to provide training and an online bullying prevention
curriculum for pupils in grades kindergarten to 12.
Peer-to-peer suicide prevention grants
Under current law, DPI administers a competitive grant program to award
grants to public, private, and tribal high schools for the purpose of supporting
peer-to-peer suicide prevention programs. Under current law, the maximum
annual peer-to-peer suicide prevention grant amount is $1,000. The bill increases
the maximum annual peer-to-peer suicide prevention grant amount to $6,000.
Mental health training programs
Under current law, DPI must establish a mental health training program under
which it provides training to school district and independent charter school staff on
three specific evidence-based strategies related to addressing mental health issues
in schools. The three specific evidence-based strategies are 1) The Screening, Brief
Intervention, and Referral to Treatment program, 2) Trauma Sensitive Schools, and
3) Youth Mental Health First Aid.
The bill expands the mental health training program to include training on any
evidence-based strategy related to addressing mental health issues and suicide
prevention in schools and converts the list of evidence-based strategies under
current law to a nonexclusive list of strategies. Additionally, the bill requires that
DPI provide the training to out-of-school-time program employees.
Out-of-school-time program grants
The bill creates a grant program under which DPI must award grants to school
boards and organizations to support high-quality after-school programs and other
out-of-school-time programs that provide services to school-age children.
Seal of biliteracy
The bill requires DPI to annually award grants to school boards and
independent charter schools to reimburse them for the costs of the assessments
necessary for pupils to earn a state seal of biliteracy and costs to train instructional
staff to conduct these assessments. The bill also provides express authority for DPI
to establish a state seal of biliteracy for high school pupils who demonstrate through
various assessments advanced achievement in bilingualism, biliteracy, and
sociocultural competence. Currently, 14 school districts participate in a state seal of
biliteracy program administered by DPI.
Grants to replace race-based nicknames, logos, mascots, or team names
associated with American Indians
The bill authorizes DPI to award a grant to a school board that terminates the
use of a race-based nickname, logo, mascot, or team name that is associated with a
federally recognized American Indian tribe or American Indians in general. Under
the bill, a school board is eligible for a grant whether or not the school board decides
to terminate the use of a race-based nickname, logo, mascot, or team name
voluntarily, in response to an objection to its use, or in compliance with an order
issued by the Division of Hearings and Appeals. The bill specifies that the amount
of the grant may not exceed the greater of $50,000 or the actual cost incurred by the
school board to replace the race-based nickname, logo, mascot, or team name. Under
the bill, these grants are funded from Indian gaming receipts.
Grants for milk coolers and dispensers
The bill creates a grant program for purchasing milk coolers and milk
dispensers that cost less than $5,000 per unit. Under the bill, DPI must award a
grant for this purpose to educational entities that participate in the National School
Lunch program, including school districts, independent charter schools, private
schools, the Wisconsin Educational Services Program for the Deaf and Hard of
Hearing, and the Wisconsin Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired.
Milwaukee mathematics partnership grant
Under the bill, beginning in the 2024-25 school year, DPI must award a grant
to the school board of a first class city school district (currently, only Milwaukee
Public Schools) to develop and implement a plan to improve mathematics instruction
in the school district if the school board provides matching funds equal to at least 20
percent of the grant. The bill requires the school board to work with UW-Milwaukee
to develop and implement the plan.
GED test fee payments
The bill requires DPI to pay the $30 testing service fee for an eligible individual
who takes a content area test given under the general educational development test
(commonly called the GED test). The GED test consists of four separate content area
tests that cover mathematical reasoning, reasoning through language arts, social
studies, and science. Under the bill, DPI must pay for an eligible individual to take
all four content area tests once in each calendar year.
In order to be eligible for the payment, an individual must satisfy DPI's
requirements to receive a Certificate of General Educational Development or a High
School Equivalency Diploma. Among other things, DPI requires that the individual
meet certain residency and minimum age requirements and attend a counseling
session. The individual also must obtain a passing score on a GED practice test for
the content area (commonly called a GED Ready practice test).
Mentor Greater Milwaukee, Inc.
The bill requires DPI to award grants to Mentor Greater Milwaukee, Inc., to
expand access to quality youth mentoring in Milwaukee County.
The Literacy Lab
The bill requires the state superintendent of public instruction to annually
distribute an amount appropriated to DPI to The Literacy Lab to provide an
evidence-based literacy intervention program in public schools located in
Milwaukee and Racine.
Reach Out and Read Wisconsin
The bill requires the state superintendent of public instruction to annually
distribute an amount appropriated to DPI to Reach Out and Read, Inc., for the early
literacy program operated by its affiliate Reach Out and Read Wisconsin. The
mission of Reach Out and Read, Inc., is to give young children a foundation for
success by incorporating books into pediatric care and encouraging families to read
aloud together.
Graduation Alliance
The bill requires the state superintendent of public instruction to annually
distribute an amount appropriated to DPI to Graduation Alliance, Inc., to support
pupils and their families through an academic coaching program known as Engage
Wisconsin. Currently, DPI partners with Graduation Alliance, Inc., to provide
Engage Wisconsin to pupils and their families.
Recollection Wisconsin
The bill appropriates money from the universal service fund to provide funding
to Wisconsin Library Services, Inc., commonly known as WiLS, to support the
digitization of historic materials in public libraries throughout this state. The bill
also requires DPI to distribute annually the amount appropriated for this purpose
to WiLS. The collaborative administered by WiLS to digitize and make available
historic materials throughout the state is known as Recollection Wisconsin.
Provision of opioid antagonist in public schools and independent charters
Under current law, school boards and governing bodies of private schools are
required to supply a standard first aid kit for use in an emergency. Also under
current law, certain school personnel, including employees and volunteers of public
and private schools, are permitted to administer an opioid antagonist on a person
who appears to be undergoing an opioid-related drug overdose.
The bill adds that school boards and operators of independent charter schools
are required to ensure that each school maintain a usable supply of an opioid
antagonist on-site, in a place that is accessible at all times.
Prohibiting vaping on school property
The bill prohibits individuals from vaping on school premises. Under the bill,
“school premises” is defined as any real property owned by, rented by, or under the
control of a school board, operator or governing board of an independent charter
school, or governing body of a private school. “School premises” includes outdoor
spaces such as playgrounds and athletic fields. The bill defines vaping as inhaling
or exhaling vapor from a vapor product, regardless of whether the liquid or other
substance being heated to produce the vapor contains nicotine. Under current law,
a school board, operator or governing board of an independent charter school, or
governing body of a private school may prohibit vaping on school premises under its
respective control.
Fees for licensure of school and public library personnel; appropriation
changes
Under current law, 90 percent of the fees collected by DPI for licensure of school
and public library personnel and for school districts' participation in DPI's teacher
improvement program are credited to an annual sum certain appropriation. The
remaining 10 percent of these fees are deposited into the general fund under current
law. The bill changes this annual sum certain appropriation to a continuing
appropriation and requires that 100 percent of the total fees collected by DPI be
credited to the appropriation. An annual sum certain appropriation is expendable
only up to the amount shown in the schedule and only for the fiscal year for which
it is made. A continuing appropriation is expendable until fully depleted or repealed.
Under current law and the bill, the purposes of the appropriation are for 1)
DPI's administrative costs related to licensure of school and public library personnel;
2) if DPI exercises its authority to provide information and analysis of the
professional school personnel supply in this state, the costs of providing that
information and analysis; and 3) DPI's teacher improvement program.
Higher education
Grants for technical college district boards to provide workforce
advancement training for businesses
The bill requires the TCS Board to award grants to technical college district
boards for the provision of customized instruction and training opportunities for
businesses to meet current workforce demands in various industries.
Technical college district revenue limits
The bill increases the limit on certain revenue, primarily derived from the
property tax levy, that technical college districts may generate.
