WDPI will disperse one-year awards of up to $150,000 per charter school. Applicants will be required to submit an application form as described above and a modified version of the same budget form used by other Wisconsin CSP (WCSP) subgrant applicants. Each subgrantee will utilize WISEgrants, the WDPI’s budgeting and claiming system. Using WISEgrants is standard practice under WDPI’s current CSP State Entity grant; continuing to utilize it under the granted waiver will allow WDPI to maintain the appropriate level of oversight while minimizing the administrative burden on schools and WDPI staff.
Within WISEgrants, subgrantees will submit a detailed annual budget using certain available Wisconsin Uniform Financial Accounting Requirements combinations, which helps ensure budgeted costs are allowable. The budget will then be reviewed by WCSP staff and compared to the school’s budget summary form and either approved or returned so that required changes can be made. WCSP staff review helps ensure that costs are allowable, as well as reasonable, necessary, and allocable to the subgrant. Schools utilize this same system to submit claims based on their approved budget, which are reviewed and approved by both the grant accountant and the subgrantee’s WISEgrants “authorizer.” A record of budget submissions and claims are saved within the system and can be viewed.
In order to access funds, an awarded applicant under this waiver must have the following on file: Proof of Wisconsin Non-stock Status and an approved contract. This approved charter contract between the authorizer and the school’s governance board must be on file with WDPI and must meet all applicable requirements under state law. At the end of the school’s year-long subgrant period, the school will be required to submit a report summarizing the manner in which it utilized funds and the impact this had on the school’s ability to serve students in the COVID-19 environment.
5. Describe how schools will continue to provide assistance to the same populations served by programs for which waivers are requested.
As currently written, only charter schools that are opening and charter schools that are high-performing and seeking to replicate or expand can benefit from WDPI’s CSP State Entity grant funding. With the benefit of a waiver, all charter schools in the state of Wisconsin that meet certain requirements will have the opportunity to benefit from access to additional funding to address the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. If funding requested exceeds that which is available, the state will prioritize schools that serve primarily educationally disadvantaged students. This priority is aligned with WDPI’s grant objectives as currently written and continues the state’s focus on serving at-risk students.
6. If the waiver relates to provisions of subsections (b) or (h) of section 1111 of ESEA, describe how the SEA requesting the waiver will maintain or improve transparency in reporting to parents and the public on student achievement and school performance, including the achievement of the subgroups of students identified in section llll(b)(2)(B)(xi) of ESEA.
The waiver being requested is related to CSP-specific requirements and is not directly related to the statewide accountability system.
As required under the waiver process, the state educational agency must provide the public and all local education agencies in the state with notice of and the opportunity to comment on this request. The Department’s application for waiver authority is available to review at https://dpi.wi.gov/esea/esea-and-covid-19. Written Comments
Public comment on the application described above may be submitted by using the Department’s form for submitting comment at https://forms.gle/tLBpwzsocWyAFYWo9. Questions or additional comment may be accepted by using the contact information below. Written comments should be submitted no later than 10 a.m. on Friday, June 12, 2020, in order to receive consideration. Agency Contact Person
Chanell Crawford
Director, Parental Education Options Team
Division for Finance and Management
Department of Public Instruction
125 South Webster Street
P.O. Box 7841
Madison, WI 53707-7841
