AB43,1228,9 119.23 (2) (a) (intro.) Subject to pars. (ag) and, (ar), and (b), any pupil in grades kindergarten to 12 who resides within the city may attend any private school if all of the following apply:

AB43,2201 Section 2201. 119.23 (2) (a) 6. a. of the statutes is amended to read:

AB43,1228,15 119.23 (2) (a) 6. a. Except as provided in subd. 6. c., all of the private school's teachers have a teaching license issued by the department or a bachelor's degree or a degree or educational credential higher than a bachelor's degree, including a masters master's or doctorate, from a nationally or regionally accredited institution of higher education. This subd. 6. a. does not apply after June 30, 2026.

AB43,2202 Section 2202. 119.23 (2) (a) 6m. of the statutes is created to read:

AB43,1228,19 119.23 (2) (a) 6m. a. Except as provided in subd. 6m. b., beginning on July 1, 2026, all of the private school's teachers have a teaching license or permit issued by the department.

AB43,1229,4 b. A teacher employed by the private school on July 1, 2026, who has been teaching for at least the 5 consecutive years immediately preceding July 1, 2026, and who does not satisfy the requirements under subd. 6m. a. on July 1, 2026, may apply to the department on a form prepared by the department for a temporary, nonrenewable waiver from the requirements under subd. 6m. a. The department shall promulgate rules to implement this subd. 6m. b., including the form of the application and the process by which the waiver application will be reviewed. The application form shall require the applicant to submit a plan for satisfying the requirements under subd. 6m. a. No waiver granted under this subd. 6m. b. is valid after July 1, 2031.

AB43,2203 Section 2203. 119.23 (2) (a) 10. of the statutes is created to read:

AB43,1229,8 119.23 (2) (a) 10. If the private school operates any grade from 9 to 12, the private school makes available to pupils in grades 9 to 12 at least one computer science course that includes concepts in computer programming or coding.

AB43,2204 Section 2204. 119.23 (2) (b) of the statutes is created to read:

AB43,1229,12 119.23 (2) (b) 1. In this paragraph, “program cap” means the total number of pupils residing in the city who attended a private school under this section in the 2023-24 school year.

AB43,1229,15 2. Beginning with the 2024-25 school year, the total number of pupils residing in the city who may attend a private school under this section during a school year may not exceed the program cap.

AB43,2205 Section 2205. 119.23 (2) (c) 3. of the statutes is created to read:

AB43,1229,20 119.23 (2) (c) 3. Notwithstanding par. (a) 6m., a teacher employed by a private school participating in the program under this section who teaches only courses in rabbinical studies is not required to hold a license or permit to teach issued by the department.

AB43,2206 Section 2206. 119.23 (3) (a) (intro.) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB43,1230,10 119.23 (3) (a) (intro.) The pupil or the pupil's parent or guardian shall submit an application, on a form provided by the state superintendent, to the participating private school that the pupil wishes to attend. If more than one pupil from the same family applies to attend the same private school, the pupils may use a single application. No later than 60 days after the end of the application period during which an application is received and subject to par. (ar), the private school shall notify each applicant, in writing, whether his or her application has been accepted. If the private school rejects an application, the notice shall include the reason. A Subject to par. (ar), a private school may reject an applicant only if it the private school has reached its maximum general capacity or seating capacity. The Except as provided in par. (ar), the state superintendent shall ensure that the private school determines which pupils to accept on a random basis, except that the private school may give preference to the following in accepting applications, in order of preference listed:

AB43,2207 Section 2207. 119.23 (3) (ar) of the statutes is created to read:

AB43,1230,13 119.23 (3) (ar) All of the following apply to applications to attend a private school under this section submitted by pupils who reside in the city:

AB43,1230,20 1. A private school that has submitted a notice of intent to participate under sub. (2) (a) 3. may accept applications for a school year during application periods determined by the department from pupils who reside in the city. For each school year, the department shall establish one or more application periods under this subdivision, the first of which begins no later than the first weekday in February of the school year before the applicable school year, and the last of which ends no later than September 14 of the applicable school year.

AB43,1231,2 2. Each private school that received applications under subd. 1. shall report to the department the number of pupils who applied under subd. 1. to attend the private school under this section and the names of those applicants who have siblings who also applied under subd. 1. to attend the private school under this section. The private school shall submit the report no later than 10 days after each application period described under subd. 1. during which the private school received applications.

AB43,1231,13 3. After the end of each application period described under subd. 1., upon receipt of the information under subd. 2., the department shall determine the sum of all applicants for pupils residing in the city. In determining the sum, the department shall count a pupil who has applied to attend more than one private school under the program under this section only once. If, after the end of an application period described under subd. 1., the sum of all applicants for pupils residing in the city exceeds the program cap under sub. (2) (b), the department shall determine which applications submitted during the application period to accept on a random basis, except that the department shall give preference to the applications of pupils described in par. (a) 1. to 5., in the order of preference listed in that paragraph.

AB43,1231,16 4. If the sum under subd. 3. exceeds the program cap under sub. (2) (b), the department shall establish a waiting list in accordance with the preferences required under subd. 3.

AB43,1231,23 5. A private school that has accepted a pupil who resides in the city under this paragraph shall notify the department whenever the private school determines that a pupil will not attend the private school under this paragraph. If, upon receiving notice under this subdivision, the department determines that the number of pupils attending private schools under this section falls below the program cap under sub. (2) (b), the department shall fill any available slot with a pupil selected from the waiting list established under subd. 4., if such a waiting list exists.

AB43,2208 Section 2208. 119.23 (3) (b) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB43,1232,10 119.23 (3) (b) If the private school rejects an applicant because it the private school has too few available spaces, the applicant may transfer his or her application to a participating private school that has space available. An applicant who is rejected under this paragraph or an applicant who is on the waiting list under par. (ar) 4. may, subject to sub. (2) (b), be admitted to a private school participating in the program under this section for the following school year, provided that the applicant continues to reside within in the city. The department may not require, in that following school year, the private school to submit financial information regarding the applicant or to verify the eligibility of the applicant to participate in the program under this section on the basis of family income.

AB43,2209 Section 2209. 119.23 (4) (bg) 3. of the statutes is amended to read:

AB43,1232,23 119.23 (4) (bg) 3. In the 2015-16 to 2022-23 school year and in each school year thereafter years, upon receipt from the pupil's parent or guardian of proof of the pupil's enrollment in the private school during a school term, except as provided in subd. 5., the state superintendent shall pay to the private school in which the pupil is enrolled on behalf of the pupil's parent or guardian, from the appropriation under s. 20.255 (2) (fu), an amount equal to the sum of the maximum amount per pupil the state superintendent paid a private school under this section in the previous school year for the grade in which the pupil is enrolled; the amount of the per pupil revenue adjustment under s. 121.91 (2m) for the current school year, if positive; and the change in the amount of statewide categorical aid per pupil between the previous school year and the current school year, as determined under s. 118.40 (2r) (e) 2p., if positive.

AB43,2210 Section 2210 . 119.23 (4) (bg) 6. of the statutes is created to read:

AB43,1233,11 119.23 (4) (bg) 6. Beginning in the 2023-24 school year and in each school year thereafter, upon receipt from the pupil's parent or guardian of proof of the pupil's enrollment in the private school during a school term, except as provided in subd. 7., the state superintendent shall pay to the private school in which the pupil is enrolled on behalf of the pupil's parent or guardian, from the appropriation under s. 20.255 (2) (fu), an amount equal to the sum of the maximum amount per pupil the state superintendent paid a private school under this section in the previous school year for the grade in which the pupil is enrolled; the amount of the per pupil revenue adjustment under s. 121.91 (2m) for the current school year, if positive; and the change in the per pupil amount under s. 115.437 (2) between the previous school year and the current school year, if positive.

AB43,2211 Section 2211 . 119.23 (4) (bg) 7. of the statutes is created to read: