FFK:amn
2023 - 2024 LEGISLATURE
May 15, 2023 - Introduced by Senators Tomczyk and Stroebel, cosponsored by
Representatives Sortwell, Gustafson, Moses, Murphy, Sapik and Schraa.
Referred to Committee on Education.
SB276,1,3 1An Act to amend 67.05 (6a) (a) 2. (intro.) and 115.385 (1) (a) (intro.); and to
2create
67.05 (6a) (a) 3. of the statutes; relating to: restricting a school district's
3authority to increase its revenue limit by referendum.
Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau
Current law generally limits the total amount of revenue a school district may
receive from general school aids and property taxes in a school year. However, there
are several exceptions to the revenue limit. One exception to the revenue limit is an
increase for funds needed to service general obligation debt issued by a school
district, if the debt was approved by a referendum. This type of referendum is often
referred to as a capital referendum.
This bill prohibits a school board from initiating the process for a capital
referendum for borrowing other than for maintenance expenses if the school district
received lower than a certain score for pupil achievement in reading and
mathematics on the most recent school and school district accountability report.
Specifically, the school board of a school district in which 2,000 or more pupils are
enrolled is prohibited from initiating the capital referendum process if its overall
pupil achievement score in reading and mathematics was below 60 points, and a
school board of a school district in which fewer than 2,000 pupils are enrolled is
prohibited from initiating the capital referendum process if its overall pupil
achievement score in reading and mathematics was below 50 points. The bill also
requires the Department of Public Instruction to use a 100 point scale for certain
measures that are required to be included in the school and school district
accountability report, including pupil achievement in reading and mathematics.

For further information see the 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:
SB276,1 1Section 1. 67.05 (6a) (a) 2. (intro.) of the statutes is amended to read:
SB276,2,122 67.05 (6a) (a) 2. (intro.) Except as provided under subd. 3., pars. (b) and (c), and
3subs. (7) and (15), and subject to the limit on the number of referendums that may
4be called in any calendar year under subd. 2. a., if the board of any school district,
5or the electors at a regularly called school district meeting, by a majority vote adopt
6an initial resolution to raise an amount of money by a bond issue, the school district
7clerk shall, within 10 days, publish notice of such adoption as a class 1 notice under
8ch. 985 or post the notice as provided under s. 10.05. The notice shall state the
9maximum amount proposed to be borrowed, the purpose of the borrowing, that the
10resolution was adopted under this subdivision and the place where and the hours
11during which the resolution may be inspected. The school board shall also do one of
12the following:
SB276,2 13Section 2. 67.05 (6a) (a) 3. of the statutes is created to read:
SB276,2,1814 67.05 (6a) (a) 3. A board of a school district, or the electors at a regularly called
15school district meeting, may not adopt a resolution under subd. 2. that would result
16in an increase to the school district's revenue limit under s. 121.91 (4) (c) if the
17purpose of the borrowing is other than for maintenance expenses and any of the
18following applies to the school district:
SB276,3,219 a. The number of pupils enrolled in the school district is 2,000 or more and, on
20the most recent school district accountability report published under s. 115.385 (1),

1the school district was assigned an overall score for pupil achievement in reading and
2mathematics that is below 60 points.
SB276,3,63 b. The number of pupils enrolled in the school district is less than 2,000 and,
4on the most recent school district accountability report published under s. 115.385
5(1), the school district was assigned an overall score for pupil achievement in reading
6and mathematics that is below 50 points.
SB276,3 7Section 3. 115.385 (1) (a) (intro.) of the statutes is amended to read:
SB276,3,118 115.385 (1) (a) (intro.) Multiple measures, each of which is measured on a 100
9point scale,
to determine a school's performance or a school district's improvement,
10including all of the following categorized by English language proficiency, disability,
11income level, and race or ethnicity:
SB276,4 12Section 4. Initial applicability.
SB276,3,1413 (1) The treatment of s. 67.05 (6a) (a) 3. first applies to a resolution adopted on
14the effective date of this subsection.
SB276,3,1515 (End)
Loading...
Loading...