Wisconsin Legislature: 59,1480p

115.434 Shared services pilot program. (1) (a) Two or more school boards may enter into an agreement to apply for aid under this section to share the services of one or more administrative personnel.

(b) To qualify for aid under this section, each applicant school board shall pass a resolution approving participation in the shared services program under this section.

(c) The school boards that have entered into an agreement to apply for aid under this section shall jointly submit a shared services plan to the department by July 1, 2018. The participating school boards shall include all of the following in the plan:

1. The position or positions the districts intend to share.

2. The position or positions that will be eliminated in each district.

3. The salary and fringe benefit costs of the positions described under subds. 1. and 2.

4. Information demonstrating that the shared services plan will result in a net reduction in filled administrative positions between the participating school districts.

(d) A school board may enter into an agreement with a unit of government other than a school district to share administrative personnel under a shared services plan submitted under par. (c), but the unit of government other than the school district is not eligible for aid under this section.

(e) There is no limit on the number of positions that participating school boards or a participating school board and a participating unit of government may propose to share under a shared services plan.

(2) The department shall review and approve applications submitted under sub. (1) in the order in which the applications are received and shall approve applications until all moneys appropriated under s. 20.255 (2) (bt) have been encumbered.

(3) (a) From the appropriation under s. 20.255 (2) (bt), the department shall, subject to sub. (4), make the following payment to each school district that jointly submitted an application under sub. (1) and whose shared services plan was approved by the department under sub. (2):

1. In the first 3 school years of a shared services plan approved under sub. (2):

a. For a district administrator, $40,000.

b. For a human resources director, information technology coordinator, or business manager, $22,500.

c. For any non-faculty administrative position other than a position identified in subd. 1. a. or b. and other than a principal or assistant principal, $17,500.

2. In the 4th school year of a shared services plan approved under sub. (2), subject to subd. 4., 50 percent of the amount received under subd. 1.

3. In the 5th school year of a shared services plan approved under sub. (2), subject to subd. 4., no payment.

4. If, before the beginning of the 4th school year of a shared services plan, each school district that is participating in the shared services plan enters into a whole grade sharing agreement under s. 118.50, for the 4th and 5th school years of the shared services plan, 100 percent of the amount under subd. 1.

(b) The department shall make its first payments under this subsection by January 1, 2019.

(4) (a) If one of the school boards that jointly submitted a shared services plan approved under sub. (2) hires an additional individual to staff a position covered under the shared services plan without eliminating the individual who is serving in that same position under the shared services plan, the department shall withdraw all school districts that were party to the shared services plan from the program under this section. A school district that is withdrawn under this paragraph may not receive any additional aid under sub. (3).

(b) If a school district employee holds more than one position in each district and each position is covered under a shared services plan approved under sub. (2), each school district may receive aid under sub. (3) for only one of the positions covered under the shared services plan. In the event the school districts whose shared employee holds more than one position under the shared services plan would be eligible for more than one category of aid payment under sub. (3) (a) 1. a. to c., the department shall pay the higher aid amount to each school district for that shared school district employee.

(5) No later than February 1, 2019, the department shall submit to the joint committee on finance a report containing all of the following information about the program under this section:

(a) The number of school boards that jointly submitted an application and shared services plan to participate in the program.

(b) The number of shared services plans approved by the department and the name of each school district participating in each such plan.

(d) The amount of funding encumbered under this section to date.

(e) The total anticipated reduction in salary and fringe benefit costs by each school district participating in a shared services plan and by all school districts participating in a shared services plan.

59,1477d Section 1477d. 115.436 (3) (a) of the statutes is amended to read:

115.436 (3) (a) Beginning in the 2009-10 school year, from the appropriation under s. 20.255 (2) (ae) and subject to pars. par. (b) and (c), the department shall pay to each school district eligible for sparsity aid $300 multiplied by the membership in the previous school year.

59,1480p Section 1480p. 115.436 (3) (ap) of the statutes is created to read:

115.436 (3) (ap) In the school year in which a school district consolidation takes effect under s. 117.08 or 117.09 and in each of the subsequent 4 school years, notwithstanding sub. (2), the department shall pay the consolidated school district sparsity aid in an amount that is not less than 50 percent of the aggregate amount of sparsity aid received by the consolidating school districts in the school year prior to the school year in which the consolidation takes effect. This paragraph does not apply to a school district created by a consolidation under s. 117.08 or 117.09 that takes effect before July 1, 2019.

59,1480r Section 1480r. 115.436 (3) (b) of the statutes is amended to read:

115.436 (3) (b) If the appropriation under s. 20.255 (2) (ae) in any fiscal year is insufficient to pay the full amount under par. pars. (a) , (am), and (ap), the department shall prorate the payments among the eligible school districts entitled to aid under this subsection.

59,1481g Section 1481g. 115.436 (3) (c) 1. of the statutes is renumbered 115.436 (3) (am) and amended to read:

115.436 (3) (am) Beginning in the 2015-16 2017-18 school year, in any fiscal year in which the department has paid the full amount due to eligible school districts under par. (a) and an unencumbered balance remains in from the appropriation under s. 20.255 (2) (ae), the department shall, subject to subd. 2. par. (b), pay to each school district that received aid under this section in the previous school year but does not satisfy the requirement under sub. (2) (a) in the current school year $300 multiplied by the membership used to determine the payment 50 percent of the amount received by the school district under par. (a) in the previous school year.

59,1481i Section 1481i. 115.436 (3) (c) 2. of the statutes is repealed.

59,1481m Section 1481m. 115.437 (2) (a) of the statutes is amended to read:

115.437 (2) (a) Except as provided in par. (b), annually on the 4th Monday of March, the department shall pay to each school district an amount equal to the average of the number of pupils enrolled in the school district in the current and 2 preceding school years multiplied by $75 in the 2013-14 school year, by $150 in the 2014-15 and 2015-16 school years, and by $250 in the 2016-17 school year, by $450 in the 2017-18 school year, by $654 in the 2018-19 school year, and by $630 in each school year thereafter. The department shall make the payments from the appropriation under s. 20.255 (2) (aq).

59,1482f Section 1482f. 115.438 of the statutes is created to read:

115.438 Personal electronic computing devices; grant program. (1) In this section:

(a) “Membership" has the meaning given in s. 121.004 (5).

(b) “Personal electronic computing device” means an electronic computing device that satisfies all of the following criteria:

1. The electronic computing device is a mobile device.

2. The electronic computing device is assignable to an individual pupil to be used solely by that pupil.

3. The electronic computing device may be used to access the Internet.

(2) Any of the following may apply for a grant under this section:

(a) A school board.

(b) An operator of a charter school under s. 118.40 (2r) or (2x).

(d) A tribal school.

(3) A recipient of a grant under this section may use the grant only for the following purposes:

(a) To purchase personal electronic computing devices.

(b) To purchase software for personal electronic computing devices.

(c) To purchase curriculum, including any related educational content or materials, a portion or all of which includes content that may be accessed on a personal electronic computing device.

(d) To train professional staff on how to effectively incorporate personal electronic computing devices into a classroom and into the high school curriculum.

(4) (a) Beginning in the 2018-19 school year and ending in the 2022-23 school year, from the appropriation under s. 20.255 (2) (aw) and subject to pars. (b) and (c), the department shall pay to each school district, operator of a charter school under s. 118.40 (2r) or (2x), governing body of a private school, and tribal school that applies for a grant under this section an amount calculated by multiplying $125 by one of the following:

1. For a school district, the number of 9th grade pupils included in the school district's membership in the previous school year.

2. For an operator of a charter school under s. 118.40 (2r) or (2x), the number of 9th grade pupils attending the charter school in the current school year.

3. For a governing body of a private school, the number of 9th grade pupils attending the private school in the current school year.

4. For a tribal school, the number of 9th grade pupils attending the tribal school in the current school year.

(b) As a condition of receiving a grant under par. (a), an applicant shall demonstrate to the satisfaction of the department that the applicant will provide matching funds in an amount equal to the grant award.

(c) If the appropriation under s. 20.255 (2) (aw) in any fiscal year is insufficient to pay the full amount under par. (a), the department shall prorate the payments among the eligible applicants.

59,1482j Section 1482j. 115.447 of the statutes is created to read:

115.447 Summer school programs; grants. (1) In this section, “eligible school district” means any of the following:

(a) A school district that was placed in the lowest performance category on the accountability report published under s. 115.385 in the previous school year.

(b) A 1st class city school district.

(2) Beginning in the 2018-19 school year and in each year thereafter, from the appropriation under s. 20.255 (2) (dj), the department shall award grants , on a competitive basis, to eligible school districts to do any of the following to increase pupil attendance, improve low-performing schools, improve academic achievement, or expose pupils to innovative learning activities :

(a) Develop a summer school program.

(b) Redesign a summer school program.

(3) The department shall promulgate rules to implement this section.

59,1482m Section 1482m. 115.45 (2) (a) of the statutes is amended to read:

115.45 (2) (a) No later than April 1, 2016 Annually, the department shall notify school boards, operators of charter schools under s. 118.40 (2r) and (2x), governing bodies of private schools, and administrators of home-based private educational programs that applications for grants under this section will be accepted from eligible teams through a date set forth in the notice. As a condition of receiving a grant under this section, an applicant eligible team shall demonstrate to the satisfaction of the department that the applicant eligible team will provide matching funds in an amount equal to the amount awarded under this section.

59,1482p Section 1482p. 115.455 of the statutes is created to read:

115.455 Grant for information technology education. (1) (a) The department shall develop a competitive request-for-proposal process for the award of a grant to an entity to provide information technology education opportunities to public school pupils in grades 6 to 12, technical college district students, and patrons of public libraries.

(b) The department shall accept applications from entities responding to the request-for-proposal under par. (a) and shall, in the 2017-18 and 2018-19 school years, from the appropriation under s. 20.255 (2) (eb), award a grant to an entity that, subject to sub. (3), satisfies the requirements under sub. (2).

(2) To be eligible for a grant under this section, the entity shall demonstrate that it has successfully offered an information technology instructional program in schools in this state and shall develop an instructional program that includes all of the following components, and shall ensure that the instructional program will be operated in 225 sites, including 16 public libraries:

(a) A research-based curriculum emphasizing the development of information technology skills.

(b) Online access to the curriculum.

(d) A curriculum that aligns with the coding and other techniques included on the computer science Advanced Placement examination. In developing the curriculum required under this paragraph, the entity shall ensure that a pupil who successfully completes the curriculum and passes the Advanced Placement examination is eligible for certification.

(e) Certifications of skills and competencies in a broad range of information technology-related skill areas, including applications used most often in businesses.

(f) Professional development and co-teaching for teachers and administrators, including teachers providing instruction in the information technology program.

(g) Deployment and program support, including integration of the information technology instructional program with curriculum standards.

(h) Opportunities for pupils completing the information technology program to earn college credit.

(3) In awarding the grant under sub. (1), the department shall give preference to an entity that demonstrates that it has successfully provided high-quality information technology instructional programming and educational opportunities to pupils enrolled in or attending schools in this state.

59,1483 Section 1483 . 115.745 (1) of the statutes is amended to read:

115.745 (1) A school board or, a cooperative educational service agency, or an agency determined by the state superintendent to be eligible for designation under 42 USC 9836 as a head start agency, in conjunction with a tribal education authority, may apply to the department for a grant for the purpose of supporting innovative, effective instruction in one or more American Indian languages.

59,1483m Section 1483m. 115.77 (1) of the statutes is amended to read: