2023 - 2024 LEGISLATURE

2023 Senate BILL 330

June 9, 2023 - Introduced by Senators Stroebel, Hutton and Jagler, cosponsored by Representative Vos. Referred to Committee on Education.

SB330,1,7 An Act to amend 115.7915 (4m) (a) 2. b., 118.40 (2r) (e) 2p. (intro.), 118.60 (4) (bg) 3., 118.60 (4) (bg) 5. a., 118.60 (4) (bg) 5. b., 119.23 (4) (bg) 3., 119.23 (4) (bg) 5. a. and 119.23 (4) (bg) 5. b.; and to create 121.905 (1) (b) 8. of the statutes; relating to: increasing the per pupil payments in parental choice programs and the Special Needs Scholarship program and the per pupil payments made to independent charter schools and increasing the revenue ceiling for school districts.

Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau

Current law generally limits the total amount of revenue per pupil that a school district may receive from general school aids and property taxes in a school year. This limit is known as a school district's revenue limit. Current law provides a minimum per pupil revenue limit for school districts, known as the “revenue ceiling.” Under current law, the revenue ceiling is $10,000 in the 2020-21 school year and each school year thereafter. This bill increases the revenue ceiling to $11,000 for the 2023-24 school year and each school year thereafter.

Under current law, the per pupil payment amounts under the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program, the Racine Parental Choice Program, the Wisconsin Parental Choice Program, and the Special Needs Scholarship Program and the per pupil payment amount paid to independent charter schools (collectively “per pupil payments”) are adjusted annually. The annual adjustment adds to the per pupil payment amount received for the previous school year an amount equal to the sum of any per member revenue limit increase that applies to school districts in the current school year and any per member increase in categorical aids between the current school year and the previous school year. Beginning in the 2024-25 school year, the annual adjustment described above also includes the change in the revenue ceiling, if positive, except for the annual adjustment for a payment under a parental choice program for a pupil enrolled in kindergarten to grade 8, which includes 90 percent of the change in the revenue ceiling, if positive.

Additionally, in the 2023-24 school year, this bill adds the following amounts to the per pupil adjustment formula:

1. For the per pupil payment amount under the MPCP, RPCP, and WPCP for pupils enrolled in grades kindergarten to eight, 10 percent of the revenue ceiling for the 2023-24 school year.

2. For the per pupil payment amount under the MPCP, RPCP, and WPCP for pupils enrolled in grades nine to 12, 26.8 percent of the revenue ceiling for the 2023-24 school year.

3. For the per pupil payment amount paid to independent charter schools, 15.7 percent of the revenue ceiling for the 2023-24 school year.

4. For the per pupil payment amount under the SNSP, 14.5 percent of the revenue ceiling for the 2023-24 school year.

Because the per pupil adjustment formula includes the amount received in the previous school year, the amounts added in the 2023-24 school year will be included in the per pupil amounts for the 2024-25 school year.

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:

SB330,1 Section 1 . 115.7915 (4m) (a) 2. b. of the statutes is amended to read:

SB330,3,2 115.7915 (4m) (a) 2. b. Beginning in the 2018-19 school year and subject to subd. 3., the sum of the scholarship amount under this subdivision for the previous school year; the amount of the per pupil revenue limit 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 ; and in the 2023-24 school year, 14.5 percent of the revenue ceiling, as defined in s. 121.905 (1), for that school year.

SB330,2 Section 2 . 115.7915 (4m) (a) 2. b. of the statutes, as affected by 2023 Wisconsin Act .... (this act), is amended to read:

SB330,3,13 115.7915 (4m) (a) 2. b. Beginning in the 2018-19 school year and subject to subd. 3., the sum of the scholarship amount under this subdivision for the previous school year; the amount of the per pupil revenue limit adjustment under s. 121.91 (2m) for the current school year, if positive; and the change in the revenue ceiling, as defined in s. 121.905 (1), between the previous school year and current school year, if positive; 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; and in the 2023-24 school year, 14.5 percent of the revenue ceiling, as defined in s. 121.905 (1), for that school year.

SB330,3 Section 3 . 118.40 (2r) (e) 2p. (intro.) of the statutes is amended to read: