LRB-4521/1
TKK:jld&klm
2017 - 2018 LEGISLATURE
November 8, 2017 - Introduced by Senators Bewley, Vinehout, Larson, Shilling,
Erpenbach, Johnson, Ringhand and Hansen, cosponsored by
Representatives Pope, Genrich, Hebl, Kolste, Doyle, Spreitzer,
Hesselbein, Goyke, Sargent, Hintz, Anderson, Shankland, Berceau,
Riemer, Subeck, Bowen, Zamarripa, Ohnstad, Meyers, Sinicki and Billings.
Referred to Committee on Education.
SB515,1,5 1An Act to repeal 115.436 (3) (b); to renumber and amend 115.436 (2) (a),
2115.436 (2) (c) and 115.436 (3) (am); to amend 20.255 (2) (ae) and 115.436 (3)
3(a); and to create 115.436 (2) (a) 1., 115.436 (2) (a) 2., 115.436 (2) (c) 2., 115.436
4(3) (ag) and 115.436 (3) (am) 2. of the statutes; relating to: sparsity aid and
5making an appropriation.
Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau
This bill changes the appropriation for sparsity aid from a sum certain
appropriation to a sum sufficient appropriation and makes additional school
districts eligible for sparsity aid.
Under current law, a school district is eligible for sparsity aid in the amount of
$300 per pupil if the school district's membership in the previous school year did not
exceed 745 pupils and if the membership divided by the school district's area in
square miles (pupil density) is less than ten. Also under current law, as affected by
2017 Wisconsin Act 59, the 2017 Biennial Budget Act, a school district that was
eligible to receive sparsity aid in the previous school year but that is not eligible to
receive sparsity aid in the current school year may receive up to 50 percent of the aid
the school district received in the previous school year. Currently, in any school year
in which the amount appropriated to the sparsity aid program is insufficient to pay
the full amount to all eligible school districts, the Department of Public Instruction
must prorate the payments.
Beginning in the 2018-19 school year, the per pupil payment to eligible school
districts with a pupil density of less than ten increases to $400. In addition, the bill

makes a school district that has a pupil density of less than ten and a membership
of between 745 and 1,000 pupils eligible for sparsity aid. Also under this bill,
beginning in the 2018-19 school year, a school district with between 1,001 and 2,700
pupils and a pupil density of less than seven pupils per square mile is eligible for
sparsity aid in the amount of $100 per pupil. The bill eliminates the need to prorate
payments among eligible 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:
SB515,1 1Section 1. 20.255 (2) (ae) of the statutes is amended to read:
SB515,2,32 20.255 (2) (ae) Sparsity aid. The amounts in the schedule A sum sufficient for
3sparsity aid to school districts under s. 115.436.
SB515,2 4Section 2. 115.436 (2) (a) of the statutes is renumbered 115.436 (2) (a) (intro.)
5and amended to read:
SB515,2,76 115.436 (2) (a) (intro.) The school district's membership in the previous school
7year was no more than 745. one of the following:
SB515,3 8Section 3. 115.436 (2) (a) 1. of the statutes is created to read:
SB515,2,99 115.436 (2) (a) 1. No more than 1,000.
SB515,4 10Section 4. 115.436 (2) (a) 2. of the statutes is created to read:
SB515,2,1111 115.436 (2) (a) 2. No less 1,001 and no more than 2,700.
SB515,5 12Section 5. 115.436 (2) (c) of the statutes is renumbered 115.436 (2) (c) 1. and
13amended to read:
SB515,2,1614 115.436 (2) (c) 1. The For a school district with a membership under par. (a) 1.,
15the
school district's membership in the previous school year divided by the school
16district's area in square miles is less than 10.
SB515,6 17Section 6. 115.436 (2) (c) 2. of the statutes is created to read:
SB515,3,3
1115.436 (2) (c) 2. For a school district with a membership under par. (a) 2., the
2school district's membership in the previous school year divided by the school
3district's area in square miles is less than 7.
SB515,7 4Section 7. 115.436 (3) (a) of the statutes, as affected by 2017 Wisconsin Act 59,
5is amended to read:
SB515,3,96 115.436 (3) (a) Beginning in the 2009-10 2018-19 school year, from the
7appropriation under s. 20.255 (2) (ae) and subject to par. (b), the department shall
8pay to each school district eligible for sparsity aid $300 and with a membership under
9sub. (2) (a) 1. $400
multiplied by the membership in the previous school year.
SB515,8 10Section 8. 115.436 (3) (ag) of the statutes is created to read:
SB515,3,1411 115.436 (3) (ag) Beginning in the 2018-19 school year, from the appropriation
12under s. 20.255 (2) (ae), the department shall pay to each school district eligible for
13sparsity aid and with a membership under sub. (2) (a) 2. $100 multiplied by the
14membership in the previous school year.
SB515,9 15Section 9. 115.436 (3) (am) of the statutes, as affected by 2017 Wisconsin Act
1659
, is renumbered 115.436 (3) (am) 1. and amended to read:
SB515,3,2217 115.436 (3) (am) 1. Beginning in the 2017-18 2018-19 school year, from the
18appropriation under s. 20.255 (2) (ae), the department shall, subject to par. (b), pay
19to each school district that received aid under this section in the previous school year
20but does not satisfy the requirement requirements under sub. (2) (a) 1. and (c) 1. in
21the current school year 50 percent of the amount received by the school district under
22par. (a) in the previous school year.
SB515,10 23Section 10. 115.436 (3) (am) 2. of the statutes is created to read:
SB515,4,424 115.436 (3) (am) 2. Beginning in the 2019-20 school year, from the
25appropriation under s. 20.255 (2) (ae), the department shall pay to each school

1district that received aid under this section in the previous school year but does not
2satisfy the requirements under sub. (2) (a) 2. and (c) 2. in the current school year 50
3percent of the amount received by the school district under par. (ag) in the previous
4school year.
SB515,11 5Section 11. 115.436 (3) (b) of the statutes, as affected by 2017 Wisconsin Act
659
, is repealed.
SB515,4,77 (End)
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