2025 - 2026 LEGISLATURE
LRB-5399/2
FFK:wlj
November 10, 2025 - Introduced by Representatives Nedweski, Kitchens, Armstrong, Duchow, Gustafson, Murphy, O'Connor and Zimmerman, cosponsored by Senator Felzkowski. Referred to Committee on Education.
AB647,1,2
1An Act to create 20.255 (2) (bp) and 118.50 (5m) of the statutes; relating to:
2whole grade sharing grants for school boards. Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau
This bill requires the Department of Public Instruction to award four-year grants to school boards that enter into a whole grade sharing agreement. Under the bill, DPI annually pays a grant recipient an amount equal to $500 per pupil enrolled in a grade included in the whole grade sharing agreement in the applicable school year. The bill also prohibits DPI from awarding a grant unless DPI determines that the amount appropriated for this purpose is sufficient to pay the total amount of all the grants that were awarded prior to that grant. In other words, DPI must determine that there is enough money to fully pay out existing grants before awarding a new grant. Under the bill, DPI must submit an annual report to the Joint Committee on Finance that includes which school boards received grants and how the money was used in the previous school year.
Under current law, two or more school boards may enter into a whole grade sharing agreement, under which all or a substantial portion of the pupils enrolled in a specified grade in the participating school districts attend the specified grade in one of the participating school districts.
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:
AB647,1
1Section 1. 20.005 (3) (schedule) of the statutes: at the appropriate place, 2insert the following amounts for the purposes indicated: AB647,28Section 2. 20.255 (2) (bp) of the statutes is created to read: AB647,2,10920.255 (2) (bp) Grants for whole grade sharing agreements. As a continuing 10appropriation, the amounts in the schedule for grants under s. 118.50 (5m). AB647,311Section 3. 118.50 (5m) of the statutes is created to read: AB647,2,1312118.50 (5m) Grants. (a) A school board that enters into a whole grade 13sharing agreement is eligible for a grant under par. (b). AB647,2,1914(b) Beginning in the 2026-27 school year, subject to par. (c), the department 15shall award a 4-year grant to an eligible school board. For each school year of the 16grant, the department shall distribute to the grant recipient an amount equal to 17$500 multiplied by the number of pupils who are enrolled in the school district in 18that school year in a grade level that is subject to the whole grade sharing 19agreement. AB647,3,220(c) The department may not award a grant under par. (b) unless the 21department determines that the amount appropriated for grants under this
1subsection is sufficient to pay the full amount of all grants awarded previously 2under par. (b). AB647,3,53(d) 1. Annually, a school board that receives a grant under par. (b) shall 4submit a report to the department that describes the use of the moneys the school 5board received under this subsection in the previous school year. AB647,3,862. Annually, the department shall submit a report to the joint committee on 7finance describing grants awarded under par. (b) and the use of moneys awarded 8under this subsection in the previous school year.
