SENATE SUBSTITUTE AMENDMENT 1,
TO 2007 SENATE BILL 396
February 4, 2008 - Offered by Committee on Education.
SB396-SSA1,1,5 1An Act to renumber 120.21 (1); to renumber and amend 118.40 (3) (c) and
2120.21 (2); to amend 118.15 (1) (a), 118.19 (1), 118.40 (4) (b) 1., 118.51 (2),
3119.04 (1) and 121.02 (1) (a) 2.; and to create 115.001 (16), 115.28 (53), 118.15
4(1) (g), 118.19 (13), 118.40 (2r) (b) 4., 118.40 (8), 118.51 (18), 120.21 (3) and
5121.83 (4) of the statutes; relating to: virtual charter schools.
The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do
enact as follows:
SB396-SSA1, s. 1 6Section 1. 115.001 (16) of the statutes is created to read:
SB396-SSA1,1,117 115.001 (16) Virtual charter school. "Virtual charter school" means a charter
8school under contract with a school board under s. 118.40 in which all or a portion
9of the instruction is provided through means of the Internet, and the pupils enrolled
10in and instructional staff employed by the school are geographically remote from
11each other.
SB396-SSA1, s. 2
1Section 2. 115.28 (53) of the statutes is created to read:
SB396-SSA1,2,42 115.28 (53) Online courses. Make online courses available for a reasonable
3fee, through a statewide web academy, to school districts, cooperative educational
4service agencies, and charter schools and private schools located in this state.
SB396-SSA1, s. 3 5Section 3. 118.15 (1) (a) of the statutes is amended to read:
SB396-SSA1,2,126 118.15 (1) (a) Except as provided under pars. (b) to (d) and (g) and sub. (4),
7unless the child is excused under sub. (3) or has graduated from high school, any
8person having under control a child who is between the ages of 6 and 18 years shall
9cause the child to attend school regularly during the full period and hours, religious
10holidays excepted, that the public or private school in which the child should be
11enrolled is in session until the end of the school term, quarter or semester of the
12school year in which the child becomes 18 years of age.
SB396-SSA1, s. 4 13Section 4. 118.15 (1) (g) of the statutes is created to read:
SB396-SSA1,2,1514 118.15 (1) (g) Paragraph (a) does not apply to a person having under control
15a child who is enrolled in a virtual charter school.
SB396-SSA1, s. 5 16Section 5. 118.19 (1) of the statutes is amended to read:
SB396-SSA1,2,2017 118.19 (1) Any Except as provided in s. 118.40 (8) (b) 2., any person seeking to
18teach in a public school, including a charter school, or in a school or institution
19operated by a county or the state shall first procure a license or permit from the
20department.
SB396-SSA1, s. 6 21Section 6. 118.19 (13) of the statutes is created to read:
SB396-SSA1,2,2522 118.19 (13) Beginning July 1, 2010, no person may teach an online course in
23a public school, including a charter school, unless he or she has completed at least
2430 hours of professional development designed to prepare a teacher for online
25teaching.
SB396-SSA1, s. 7
1Section 7. 118.40 (2r) (b) 4. of the statutes is created to read:
SB396-SSA1,3,32 118.40 (2r) (b) 4. No chartering or contracting entity under subd. 1. may
3establish or enter into a contract for the establishment of a virtual charter school.
SB396-SSA1, s. 8 4Section 8. 118.40 (3) (c) of the statutes is renumbered 118.40 (3) (c) 1. and
5amended to read:
SB396-SSA1,3,146 118.40 (3) (c) 1. A school board may not enter into a contract for the
7establishment of a charter school located outside the school district, except that if 2
8or more school boards enter into an agreement under s. 66.0301 to establish a charter
9school, the charter school shall be located within one of the school districts, and if one
10or more school boards enter into an agreement with the board of control of a
11cooperative educational service agency to establish a charter school, the charter
12school shall be located within the boundaries of the cooperative educational service
13agency. This subdivision does not apply to the establishment of a virtual charter
14school.
SB396-SSA1,3,16 152. A school board may not enter into a contract that would result in the
16conversion of a private, sectarian school to a charter school.
SB396-SSA1, s. 9 17Section 9. 118.40 (4) (b) 1. of the statutes is amended to read:
SB396-SSA1,3,1818 118.40 (4) (b) 1. Charge tuition, except as otherwise provided in s. 121.83 (4).
SB396-SSA1, s. 10 19Section 10. 118.40 (8) of the statutes is created to read:
SB396-SSA1,3,2220 118.40 (8) Virtual charter schools. (a) Location. For the purposes of sub.
21(7) (a), (am), and (ar), a virtual charter school is considered to be located in the
22following school district:
SB396-SSA1,3,2423 1. If a school board contracts with a person to establish the virtual charter
24school, in the school district governed by that school board.
SB396-SSA1,4,4
12. If 2 or more school boards enter into an agreement under s. 66.0301 to
2establish the virtual charter school, or if one or more school boards enter into an
3agreement with the board of control of a cooperative educational service agency to
4establish the virtual charter school, in the school district specified in the agreement.
SB396-SSA1,4,125 (b) Licensure. 1. The governing body of a virtual charter school shall assign
6an appropriately licensed teacher for each online course offered by the virtual
7charter school. Notwithstanding ss. PI 8.01 (2) (a) 2. and 34.34 (1) (a), Wis. Adm.
8Code, a charter school instructional staff license provides no additional authority to
9the license holder in a virtual charter school. Notwithstanding ss. PI 8.01 (2) (a) 2.
10and 34.34 (2), Wis. Adm. Code, no person may teach in a virtual charter school if the
11person holds only a charter school instructional staff permit issued under s. PI 34.34
12(2), Wis. Adm. Code.
SB396-SSA1,4,1613 2. If a pupil attends a virtual charter school, any person providing educational
14services to the pupil in the pupil's home, other than instructional staff of the virtual
15charter school, is not required to hold a license or permit to teach issued by the
16department.
SB396-SSA1,4,1917 (c) Staff duties. In a virtual charter school, an instructional staff member is
18responsible for all of the following for each pupil the instructional staff member
19teaches:
SB396-SSA1,4,2020 1. Improving learning by planned instruction.
SB396-SSA1,4,2121 2. Diagnosing learning needs.
SB396-SSA1,4,2222 3. Prescribing content delivery through class activities.
SB396-SSA1,4,2323 4. Assessing learning.
SB396-SSA1,4,2424 5. Reporting outcomes to administrators and parents and guardians.
SB396-SSA1,4,2525 6. Evaluating the effects of instruction.
SB396-SSA1,5,2
1(d) Required days and hours. A virtual charter school shall do all of the
2following:
SB396-SSA1,5,43 1. Provide educational services to its pupils for at least 150 days each school
4year.
SB396-SSA1,5,85 2. Ensure that its teachers are available to provide direct pupil instruction for
6at least the applicable number of hours specified in s. 121.02 (1) (f) 2. each school year.
7No more than 10 hours in any 24-hour period may count toward the requirement
8under this subdivision.
SB396-SSA1,5,119 3. Ensure that its teachers respond to inquiries from pupils and from parents
10or guardians of pupils by the end of the first school day following the day on which
11the inquiry is received.
SB396-SSA1,5,1512 (e) Parent advisory council. The governing body of a virtual charter school shall
13ensure that a parent advisory council is established for the school and that it meets
14on a regular basis. The governing body shall determine the selection process for
15members of the parent advisory council.
SB396-SSA1,5,1916 (f) Required notices. At the beginning of each school term, the governing body
17of a virtual charter school shall inform the parent or guardian of each pupil attending
18the virtual charter school, in writing, the name of, and how to contact, each of the
19following persons:
SB396-SSA1,5,2120 1. The members of the school board that contracted for the establishment of the
21virtual charter school and the administrators of that school district.
SB396-SSA1,5,2322 2. The members of the virtual charter school's governing body, if different than
23the persons under subd. 1.
SB396-SSA1,5,2524 3. The members of the virtual charter school's parent advisory council
25established under par. (e).
SB396-SSA1,6,1
14. The staff of the virtual charter school.
SB396-SSA1,6,52 (g) Pupil's failure to participate. 1. Whenever a pupil attending a virtual
3charter school fails to respond appropriately to a school assignment or directive from
4instructional staff within 5 school days, the governing body of the virtual charter
5school shall notify the pupil's parent or guardian.
SB396-SSA1,6,176 2. The third time in the same semester that a pupil attending a virtual charter
7school fails to respond appropriately to a school assignment or directive from
8instructional staff within 5 school days, the governing body of the virtual charter
9school shall notify the pupil's parent or guardian, the school board that contracted
10for the establishment of the virtual charter school, the school board of the pupil's
11resident school district, and the department. The school board that contracted for
12the establishment of the virtual charter school may transfer the pupil to his or her
13resident school district. If the pupil is a resident of the school district that contracted
14for the establishment of the virtual charter school, the school board may assign the
15pupil to another school or program within that school district. If the school board
16transfers or assigns a pupil, it shall notify the pupil's parent or guardian and the
17department.
SB396-SSA1,6,2218 3. The parent or guardian of a pupil transferred to the pupil's resident school
19district under subd. 2. may appeal the transfer to the department within 30 days
20after receipt of the notice of transfer. The department shall affirm the school board's
21decision unless the department finds that the decision was arbitrary or
22unreasonable.
SB396-SSA1, s. 11 23Section 11. 118.51 (2) of the statutes is amended to read:
SB396-SSA1,7,624 118.51 (2) Applicability. A pupil may attend a public school, including a
25charter school, prekindergarten, 4-year-old kindergarten, or early childhood or

1school-operated day care program, in a nonresident school district under this
2section, except that a pupil may attend a prekindergarten, 4-year-old kindergarten,
3or early childhood or school-operated day care program in a nonresident school
4district only if the pupil's resident school district offers the same type of program that
5the pupil wishes to attend and the pupil is eligible to attend that program in his or
6her resident school district.
SB396-SSA1, s. 12 7Section 12. 118.51 (18) of the statutes is created to read:
SB396-SSA1,7,98 118.51 (18) Location of virtual charter schools. For purposes of this section,
9a virtual charter school is located in the school district specified in s. 118.40 (8) (a).
SB396-SSA1, s. 13 10Section 13. 119.04 (1) of the statutes, as affected by 2007 Wisconsin Act 20,
11is amended to read:
SB396-SSA1,7,2012 119.04 (1) Subchapters IV, V and VII of ch. 115, ch. 121 and ss. 66.0235 (3) (c),
1366.0603 (1m) to (3), 115.01 (1) and (2), 115.28, 115.31, 115.33, 115.34, 115.343,
14115.345, 115.361, 115.38 (2), 115.445, 115.45, 118.001 to 118.04, 118.045, 118.06,
15118.07, 118.10, 118.12, 118.125 to 118.14, 118.145 (4), 118.15, 118.153, 118.16,
16118.162, 118.163, 118.164, 118.18, 118.19, 118.20, 118.24 (1), (2) (c) to (f), (6) and (8),
17118.245, 118.255, 118.258, 118.291, 118.30 to 118.43, 118.51, 118.52, 118.55, 120.12
18(5) and (15) to (26), 120.125, 120.13 (1), (2) (b) to (g), (3), (14), (17) to (19), (26), (34),
19(35), (37), (37m), and (38), 120.14, 120.21 (3), and 120.25 are applicable to a 1st class
20city school district and board.
SB396-SSA1, s. 14 21Section 14. 120.21 (1) of the statutes is renumbered 120.21 (1) (a).
SB396-SSA1, s. 15 22Section 15. 120.21 (2) of the statutes is renumbered 120.21 (1) (b) and
23amended to read:
SB396-SSA1,7,2524 120.21 (1) (b) The cost of such contracts under this subsection shall be paid out
25of the school district general fund.
SB396-SSA1, s. 16
1Section 16. 120.21 (3) of the statutes is created to read:
SB396-SSA1,8,32 120.21 (3) Any contract entered into by a school board that relates to providing
3online courses is open to public inspection and copying.
SB396-SSA1, s. 17 4Section 17. 121.02 (1) (a) 2. of the statutes is amended to read:
SB396-SSA1,8,105 121.02 (1) (a) 2. Ensure Subject to s. 118.40 (8) (b) 2., ensure that all
6instructional staff of charter schools located in the school district hold a license or
7permit to teach issued by the department. For purposes of this subdivision, a virtual
8charter school is located in the school district specified in s. 118.40 (8) (a).
The state
9superintendent shall promulgate rules defining "instructional staff" for purposes of
10this subdivision.
SB396-SSA1, s. 18 11Section 18. 121.83 (4) of the statutes is created to read:
SB396-SSA1,8,1612 121.83 (4) Notwithstanding subs. (1) and (2), if a pupil who is not a resident
13of this state attends a virtual charter school in this state, the school board that
14contracted for the establishment of the virtual charter school shall charge tuition for
15the pupil in an amount equal to at least the amount determined under s. 118.51 (16)
16(a) 3.
SB396-SSA1, s. 19 17Section 19. Effective dates. This act takes effect on the day after publication,
18except as follows:
SB396-SSA1,8,2019 (1) The treatment of sections 118.40 (4) (b) 1. and (8) (d) and 121.83 (4) of the
20statutes takes effect on July 1, 2008.
SB396-SSA1,8,2221 (2) The treatment of section 118.40 (8) (b) 1. of the statutes takes effect on July
221, 2009.
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