Chapter 38

38.27(2)(a) (a) Any district board or combination of district boards may apply to the board for a grant to accomplish the purposes identified by the board under sub. (1).

38.27(2)(b) (b) The board shall review the applications submitted under par. (a) according to procedures and criteria established by the board. Prior to awarding a grant for the purpose of sub. (1) (e), the board shall consider the principle of comparable budgetary support for similar programs and ensure that the program being considered for a grant is efficient and cost-effective. The board shall notify the applicant whether its application has been approved and, if approved, of the amount and the conditions of the grant to be awarded.

38.27(2)(c) (c) Amounts awarded under this section shall be paid from the appropriation under s. 20.292 (1) (f) and may be paid in installments. Except as provided under par. (cm), amounts awarded for the purposes of sub. (1) (b) to (d) and (g) shall range from 25 percent to 75 percent of the total project cost. The board shall require the district board to provide the remaining percentage share of total project cost.

38.27(2)(cm) (cm) For grants awarded to combinations of district boards for projects that support regional or statewide activities, the board shall determine the percentage of total project cost that the grant may fund.

38.27(2)(d) (d) Amounts awarded for the purpose of sub. (1) (a) or (e) may be awarded on a continuing basis, pending the availability of funds. Amounts awarded to support the establishment of new programs under sub. (1) (b) or (g) may be awarded for a period of up to 3 years, pending the availability of funds.

38.27(2)(e) (e) Funds received under this section for the purpose of sub. (1) (a), (b), (c), (d) or (g) may not be used to supplant funds otherwise available for such purposes.

38.27(2)(f) (f) The recipient of a grant under sub. (1) (g) shall give preference, in assisting business and industry, to small and medium-sized businesses.

38.27(2m) (2m) The board shall ensure that:

38.27(2m)(a) (a) Beginning in the 1989-90 fiscal year, not more than $1,500,000 annually is awarded for the purpose of sub. (1) (e).

38.27(2m)(b) (b) Not more than 25 percent of the total amount awarded under this section in any fiscal year is for the purposes of sub. (1) (c).

38.27(2m)(e) (e) Beginning in the 1997-98 fiscal year, not more than $150,000 annually is awarded for the purpose of sub. (1) (h).

38.27(2m)(f) (f) Beginning in the 2001-02 school year, at least $0 annually is awarded under this section to districts with limited fiscal capacity, as defined by the board.

38.27(3) (3) 

38.27(3)(a) (a) Each recipient of a grant under this section shall, by September 1 of the fiscal year following receipt of the grant, file a report with the board. The report shall evaluate the recipient’s performance in attaining the goals specified in the application submitted under sub. (2).

38.27(3)(b) (b) The board shall develop and implement an audit program to assess the effectiveness of the grants made under this section in accomplishing the intended goals.

38.27 History History: 1985 a. 29; 1987 a. 399, 419; 1989 a. 31; 1991 a. 39; 1993 a. 16; 1995 a. 27; 1997 a. 27; 2001 a. 16; 2013 a. 20; 2019 a. 9.

38.272 38.272 Farm training program tuition grants.

38.272(1) (1) A student enrolled in a district’s farm business and production management program may apply to the board for a grant for the purpose of paying 50 percent of the tuition for up to 6 years.

38.272(2) (2) The board shall review the applications submitted under sub. (1) according to procedures and criteria established by the board. The board shall notify the student whether his or her application has been approved and, if approved, of the amount of the grant.

38.272(3) (3) The board may award grants under this section. Amounts awarded shall be paid from the appropriation under s. 20.292 (1) (f).

38.272 History History: 1991 a. 39; 1995 a. 27; 2013 a. 20.

38.28 38.28 State aid.

38.28(1) (1) Annually at the time and on forms prescribed by the director, the district board secretary shall report to the board the cost of maintaining the schools of the district; the character of the work done; the number, names and qualifications of the teachers employed; the number of full-time students enrolled; the number of full-time equivalent students enrolled in the district who are residents of another district; the number of full-time students exempted from tuition, by course credits; the actual amount of tuition collected in postsecondary and in vocational-adult programs; and such other information as the board requires.

38.28(1m) (1m) In this section:

38.28(1m)(a) (a)

38.28(1m)(a)1. 1. “District aidable cost” means the annual cost of operating a technical college district, including debt service charges for district bonds and promissory notes for building programs or capital equipment, but excluding all expenditures relating to auxiliary enterprises and community service programs, all expenditures funded by or reimbursed with federal revenues, all receipts under ss. 38.12 (9) and (14), 38.14 (3) and (9), and 118.15 (2) (a), all receipts from grants awarded under ss. 38.04 (8), (28), and (31), 38.14 (11), 38.26, 38.27, 38.31, 38.33, 38.34, 38.38, and 38.42, all fees collected under s. 38.24, and driver education and chauffeur training aids.

38.28(1m)(a)2. 2. “District aidable cost” for any district that does not have an institution or college campus located in the district does not include costs associated with the collegiate transfer program at the district school. In this subdivision, “institution” and “college campus” have the meanings specified under s. 36.05. This subdivision does not apply beginning with aid paid under sub. (3) in the 2014-15 fiscal year.

38.28 Note NOTE: Section 38.28 (3) was repealed by 2013 Wis. Act 20.

38.28(1m)(am) (am) “Dual enrollment programs” means programs or courses of study designed to provide high school students the opportunity to gain credits in both technical college and high school, including transcripted credit programs or other educational services provided by contract between a school district and a technical college.

38.28(1m)(b) (b) “Equalization index” means a ratio determined by:

38.28(1m)(b)1. 1. Dividing the most current statewide full valuation by the board’s estimate of the districts’ total aidable full-time equivalent student count for the next fiscal year;

38.28(1m)(b)2. 2. Dividing the most current full valuation for each district by the board’s estimate of that district’s full-time equivalent student count for the next fiscal year; and

38.28(1m)(b)3. 3. Dividing the quotient of subd. 1. by the quotient of subd. 2., rounded to the 5th decimal place.

38.28(1m)(c) (c) “Industry-validated curriculum” means a curriculum that is developed with business or industry input and that is based on competencies and assessments that reflect the skills and knowledge necessary for a specific job or jobs within a specific type of business or industry.

38.28(2) (2) 

38.28(2)(b) (b) Subject to par. (bm), each district’s share of the amount appropriated under s. 20.292 (1) (d) shall be computed as follows:

38.28(2)(b)1. 1. The district’s aidable cost shall be multiplied by the applicable percentage and this product shall be multiplied by the equalization index to determine state aids. In this subdivision, the “applicable percentage” is the percentage sufficient to generate total aid under this section that will fall within the range of 0.999 and 1.001 of the amount appropriated under s. 20.292 (1) (d), as determined by the board.

38.28(2)(b)2. 2. The most current equalized values certified by the department of revenue shall be used in aid determinations, except equalized values shall include the full value of property that is exempt under s. 70.11 (39) and (39m) as determined under s. 79.095 (3) for 2016.

38.28(2)(b)3. 3. Beginning with the 1975-76 fiscal year, state aids shall be calculated and paid on the basis of 1975-76 district aidable cost. Annually thereafter, aid payments in any fiscal year shall fund the district aidable cost in that same fiscal year.

38.28(2)(b)4. 4. The board shall make such adjustments in aid payments during the fiscal year as are necessary to reflect more current data under sub. (1m) and s. 20.292 (1) (d). Final adjustments of state aid payments, on the basis of actual enrollments and costs, shall be made from the following year’s aid appropriation under s. 20.292 (1) (d).

38.28(2)(be) (be)

38.28(2)(be)1. 1. Subject to subd. 1m. and par. (bm), the board shall establish a formula for allocating the amount appropriated under s. 20.292 (1) (d) in a fiscal year to each district based on a district’s performance in the 3 previous fiscal years with respect to the following criteria:

38.28(2)(be)1.a. a. The placement rate of students in jobs related to students’ programs of study.

38.28(2)(be)1.b. b. The number of degrees and certificates awarded in high-demand fields. The board and the department of workforce development shall jointly determine what constitutes high-demand fields and revise the determination as necessary.

38.28(2)(be)1.c. c. The number of programs or courses with industry-validated curriculum.

38.28(2)(be)1.d. d. The transition of adult students from basic education to skills training.

38.28(2)(be)1.dm. dm. The number of adult students served by basic education courses, adult high school or English language learning courses, or courses that combine basic skills and occupational training as a means of expediting basic skills remediation, and the success rate of adult students completing such courses.

38.28(2)(be)1.e. e. Participation in dual enrollment programs.

38.28(2)(be)1.f. f. The workforce training provided to businesses and individuals.

38.28(2)(be)1.g. g. Participation in statewide or regional collaboration or efficiency initiatives.

38.28(2)(be)1.h. h. Training or other services provided to special populations or demographic groups that can be considered unique to the district.

38.28(2)(be)1.i. i. The development and implementation of a policy to award course credit for relevant educational experience or training not obtained through an institution of higher education, including skills training received during military service.

38.28(2)(be)1m. 1m. Subject to modification by the joint committee on finance under subd. 2., allocations under the formula established under subd. 1. shall be based on a district’s performance with respect to 7 of the 10 criteria specified in subd. 1. a. to i., and the board shall allow each district to designate the criteria used for the allocations.

38.28(2)(be)2. 2. No later than March 31, 2014, the board shall submit a plan for making allocations pursuant to the formula established under subd. 1. to the joint committee on finance. If the cochairpersons of the joint committee on finance do not notify the board within 14 working days after the date of the submittal of the plan that the committee has scheduled a meeting to review the plan, the board shall implement the plan. If, within 14 working days after the date of the submittal of the plan, the cochairpersons of the committee notify the board that the committee has scheduled a meeting to review the plan, the board may not implement the plan unless the committee approves or modifies the plan. If the committee modifies the plan, the board may implement the plan only as modified by the committee.

38.28(2)(be)3. 3. In each fiscal year, beginning in fiscal year 2014-15, the board shall submit a report to the joint committee on finance that describes how the amount appropriated under s. 20.292 (1) (d) is allocated to each district under the plan administered under subd. 2. The report shall describe all of the following:

38.28(2)(be)3.a. a. The amount allocated to each district in the fiscal year under the formula administered under the plan.

38.28(2)(be)3.b. b. The performance of each district with respect to each criterion specified in subd. 1. a. to i.

38.28(2)(be)3.c. c. The methodologies used to make a district’s allocation described under subd. 3. a. based on the district’s performance described under subd. 3. b.

38.28(2)(be)3.d. d. The performance of the technical college system as a whole with respect to each criterion specified in subd. 1. a. to i.

38.28(2)(be)3.e. e. Any other information used to administer the plan.

38.28(2)(be)4. 4. The board shall make the report submitted under subd. 3. available to the public. Each district board that maintains an Internet site shall make the report available to the public at the Internet site.

38.28(2)(be)5. 5. The board shall include in its biennial budget request under s. 16.42 any legislative proposals that the board recommends that relate to the criteria specified in subd. 1. a. to i. or to the plan or formula approved or modified by the joint committee on finance under subd. 2.

38.28(2)(bm) (bm)

38.28(2)(bm)1. 1. In this paragraph, “amount appropriated” means the amount appropriated under s. 20.292 (1) (d).

38.28(2)(bm)2. 2.

38.28(2)(bm)2.a. a. Except for the percentages of funding specified in this subdivision to be distributed under par. (be), all of the amount appropriated shall be distributed under par. (b).

38.28(2)(bm)2.b. b. In fiscal year 2014-15, the percentage is 10 percent.

38.28(2)(bm)2.c. c. In fiscal year 2015-16, the percentage is 20 percent.

38.28(2)(bm)2.d. d. In fiscal year 2016-17 and each fiscal year thereafter, the percentage is 30 percent.

38.28(2)(bs) (bs) The board shall reduce each district’s aid payment under par. (b) 2., or the amount allocated to each district under the plan administered under par. (be) 2., by the district’s share of the amount necessary to produce and distribute the statewide guide under s. 38.04 (18), as determined by the board.

38.28(2)(d) (d) Notwithstanding pars. (b), (be), and (bm), the board may withhold, suspend or reduce in whole or in part payment of state aid under this subsection to any district board whose program or educational personnel does not meet minimum standards set by the board or which violates this chapter or any rule promulgated by the board under the authority of this chapter. The board shall discontinue aids to those programs which are no longer necessary to meet needs within the state.

38.28(2)(e) (e) Aids shall not be paid to a district board for any program unless the intended content of each course has been thoroughly described, and the program has been designated and approved by the state director and reviewed by the board. The board shall establish procedures to implement this subsection which shall enhance the district’s ability to respond rapidly to the needs of its citizens.

38.28(2)(f) (f) The board shall compile information on anticipated cost for each succeeding fiscal year by the preceding January 1.

38.28(4) (4) From the appropriation under s. 20.292 (1) (f), the board may pay to any district that does not have an institution or college campus located within the district an amount equal to that portion of the instructional costs of the district’s collegiate transfer program not supported by fees and tuition that is equal to the state support of similar programs in the University of Wisconsin System, as determined by the board. In this subsection, “institution” and “college campus” have the meanings specified under s. 36.05.

38.28(5) (5) State aid shall not be paid to a district for any year, unless every teacher, administrator, principal and supervisor employed by the district during that year is under a contract providing for leave of absence by reason of sickness of such person, without deduction from salary, for not less than 5 days per year and for accumulation of unused sick leave from year to year to a total of not less than 30 days. No allowance may be paid for such absences from teaching or other educational services rendered in evening school by any person employed at least 30 hours per week in day school. This subsection does not apply to a person employed by the district board for less than 30 hours per week.

38.28 History History: 1971 c. 154, 211; 1973 c. 90; 1975 c. 39, 224; 1977 c. 29, 418; 1979 c. 34, 221; 1981 c. 20, 269; 1983 a. 27; 1985 a. 29; 1985 a. 332 s. 251 (3); 1987 a. 27, 399; 1989 a. 31, 102, 336; 1991 a. 39, 322; 1993 a. 16, 377, 399, 437; 1995 a. 27 ss. 1812, 9145 (1); 1995 a. 225; 1997 a. 27, 237; 1999 a. 9, 185; 2001 a. 16, 109; 2003 a. 33; 2005 a. 25; 2013 a. 20; 2015 a. 55, 282; 2017 a. 59; 2023 a. 89.

38.28 Cross-reference Cross-reference: See also ch. TCS 10, Wis. adm. code.

38.29 38.29 Chauffeur training grants.

38.29(1) (1) The board may award grants to district boards under this section for the development of advanced chauffeur training facilities, the acquisition of instructional equipment for such facilities, operational costs associated with the maintenance of such facilities and equipment and costs incurred in the coordination of the training programs.

38.29(2) (2) 

38.29(2)(a) (a) Any district board receiving aid under s. 38.28 (2) (g) may apply to the board for a grant for the purposes described under sub. (1).

38.29 Note NOTE: Section 38.28 (2) (g) was repealed by 2013 Wis. Act 20.

38.29(2)(b) (b) The board shall review the application according to criteria and procedures established by the board. If an application submitted under par. (a) is approved, the board shall notify the district board of the amount and conditions of the grant to be awarded.

38.29(2)(c) (c) Amounts awarded shall be paid from the appropriation under s. 20.292 (1) (f).

38.29(3) (3) Each district board receiving a grant under this section shall, by September 1 of the fiscal year following receipt of the grant, file a report with the board. The report shall evaluate the district board’s performance in attaining the goals specified in the application submitted under sub. (2) (a).

38.29 History History: 1985 a. 29; 1997 a. 27; 2013 a. 20.

38.30 38.30 Special aid for veterans.

38.30(1) (1) 

38.30(1)(a) (a) District boards may receive payments from the U.S. department of veterans affairs for tuition to cover the cost of training for resident and nonresident students who are enrolled in district schools and are veterans eligible for benefits under federal law.