SB789: Bill Text

LRB-5363/1

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2019 - 2020 LEGISLATURE

2019 Senate BILL 789

February 6, 2020 - Introduced by Senators Darling, Kooyenga and Craig, cosponsored by Representatives Thiesfeldt, Kulp, Fields, Ballweg, Dittrich, Hutton, Felzkowski, Jagler, Knodl, Sanfelippo, Skowronski, Spiros, Steineke, Tusler and Wichgers. Referred to Committee on Education.

SB789,1,7 An Act to repeal 118.52 (3) (d); to renumber and amend 118.52 (4); to amend 115.28 (54m), 115.38 (1) (d), 115.385 (4), 118.52 (1) (e), 118.52 (2), 118.52 (3) (a), 118.52 (3) (b), 118.52 (3) (c), 118.52 (3) (e), 118.52 (5), 118.52 (6), 118.52 (8), 118.52 (9), 118.52 (10), 118.52 (11), 118.52 (12) and 118.57 (1); to repeal and recreate 118.52 (title); and to create 118.52 (1) (ad), 118.52 (1) (af), 118.52 (1) (ah), 118.52 (2m) and 118.52 (13) of the statutes; relating to: expanding the part-time open enrollment program.

Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau

This bill expands the part-time open enrollment program and renames it the course choice program.

Under the current part-time open enrollment program, a pupil enrolled in a public school in the high school grades may attend a course at a public school in a nonresident school district. Under the bill, a pupil enrolled in an educational institution, as defined in the bill, in grades one to twelve may attend a course at another educational institution. A pupil may attend no more than a total of two courses at any one time under the current part-time open enrollment program or under the bill's course choice program.

The bill defines an educational institution as any of the following:

1. A public school under the control of a pupil's resident school board, including a charter school authorized by the resident school board.

2. A public school under the control of a pupil's nonresident school board, including a charter school authorized by the nonresident school board.

3. An independent charter school.

4. A private school.

5. A nonprofit organization approved by the Department of Public Instruction.

Under the bill, participation in the course choice program is optional for an educational institution that is a private school or a nonprofit organization approved by DPI. If a private school or DPI-approved nonprofit organization wishes to participate in the course choice program it must take certain actions by the June 1 preceding the school year in which it wishes to participate, including adopting a written policy specifying the acceptance and rejection criteria it will use in the following school year and posting on its Internet site a statement that it will participate in the course choice program and the courses that will be available to pupils under the program. If a private school or DPI-approved nonprofit organization does not take these actions, a pupil attending the private school or nonprofit organization may not attend courses at other educational institutions under the course choice program and pupils attending other educational institutions may not take courses at the private school or nonprofit organization under the course choice program. Participation in both the part-time open enrollment program and the course choice program is mandatory for public schools.

Under the bill, the educational institution that a pupil attends on a full-time basis must pay the educational institution offering a course the pupil takes under the course choice program an amount equal to the costs of providing the course to the pupil, as determined by DPI. The bill prohibits an educational institution from charging or receiving any additional payment from a pupil or a pupil's full-time educational institution for attending a course at the educational institution under the course choice program.

Under the current part-time open enrollment program, a pupil's resident school board may reject a pupil's application to attend a course in a nonresident school district if the resident school board determines that the cost of the course would impose an undue burden on the resident school district. The bill extends the authority to reject a pupil's application on the basis that the cost of the course would be an undue burden to all full-time educational institutions.

Similar to the low-income transportation assistance offered under current law, a pupil attending a course under the course choice program may apply to DPI for financial assistance for the cost of transportation to a course the pupil attends under the course choice program if the pupil is unable to pay the cost of the transportation. Under current law, in awarding transportation assistance, DPI must give a preference to pupils who satisfy the criteria for free or reduced-price lunch. Under the bill, DPI must also give a preference to pupils who attend an educational institution in a rural community.

Finally, the bill requires DPI to include information on the course choice program on DPI's Internet site, including links to the Internet sites of educational institutions participating in the program.

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:

SB789,1 Section 1. 115.28 (54m) of the statutes is amended to read:

SB789,3,9 115.28 (54m) Notice of educational options. Include on the home page of the department's Internet site a link to information about all of the educational options available to children in the state who are at least 3 years old but not yet 18 21 years old and who have not graduated from high school, including public schools, private schools participating in a parental choice program, charter schools, virtual schools, full-time or part-time open enrollment in a nonresident school district, the course choice program, the early college credit program, and options for pupils enrolled in a home-based private educational program.

SB789,2 Section 2. 115.38 (1) (d) of the statutes is amended to read:

SB789,3,15 115.38 (1) (d) The number and percentage of resident pupils enrolled in the school district attending a course in a nonresident school district offered by an educational institution under s. 118.52, the number of nonresident pupils who are not enrolled in the school district but are attending a course in the school district under s. 118.52, and the courses taken by those pupils.

SB789,3 Section 3. 115.385 (4) of the statutes is amended to read:

SB789,4,6 115.385 (4) Annually, each public school, including a charter school, and each private school participating in a parental choice program under s. 118.60 or 119.23 shall provide a copy of the school's accountability report to the parent or guardian of each pupil enrolled in or attending the school. Each school shall simultaneously provide to the parent or guardian of each pupil enrolled in the school a list of the educational options available to children who reside in the pupil's resident school district, including public schools, private schools participating in a parental choice program, charter schools, virtual schools, full-time or part-time open enrollment in a nonresident school district, the course choice program, the early college credit program, and options for pupils enrolled in a home-based private educational program.

SB789,4 Section 4. 118.52 (title) of the statutes is repealed and recreated to read:

SB789,4,8 118.52 (title) Course choice program.

SB789,5 Section 5. 118.52 (1) (ad) of the statutes is created to read:

SB789,4,10 118.52 (1) (ad) “Educational institution” means all of the following:

SB789,4,12 1. A public school under the charge of a pupil's resident school board, including a charter school under contract with the school board under s. 118.40.

SB789,4,14 2. A public school under the charge of a pupil's nonresident school board, including a charter school under contract with the school board under s. 118.40.

SB789,4,15 3. A charter school established under s. 118.40 (2r) or (2x).

SB789,4,16 4. A private school.

SB789,4,17 5. Any nonprofit organization approved by the department.

SB789,6 Section 6. 118.52 (1) (af) of the statutes is created to read:

SB789,4,21 118.52 (1) (af) “Full-time educational institution” means the educational institution at which the pupil is enrolled or attends school full time during the school year for which an application is made under this section.

SB789,7 Section 7. 118.52 (1) (ah) of the statutes is created to read:

SB789,5,2 118.52 (1) (ah) “Governing body” means the board that is elected or appointed to govern an educational institution. If a board is not elected or appointed to govern the educational institution, “governing body” means the person having direct charge of the educational institution.

SB789,8 Section 8. 118.52 (1) (e) of the statutes is amended to read:

SB789,5,8 118.52 (1) (e) “Resident school district" means the school district in which a pupil resides. If a pupil attends school under a whole grade sharing agreement under s. 118.50 in a school district other than the school district in which the pupil resides, the school district in which the pupil attends school under the whole grade sharing agreement is considered the pupil's resident school district.

SB789,9 Section 9. 118.52 (2) of the statutes is amended to read:

SB789,5,16 118.52 (2) Beginning in the 2018-19 2020-21 school year, subject to sub. (2m) (b), a pupil who is enrolled in a public school in the high school or attends an educational institution in grades 1 to 12 may attend public school in a nonresident school district another educational institution under this section for the purpose of taking a course offered by the nonresident school district that educational institution. A pupil may attend no more than 2 courses at any time in nonresident school districts under this section.

SB789,10 Section 10 . 118.52 (2m) of the statutes is created to read:

SB789,5,22 118.52 (2m) Program participation; private schools and nonprofit organizations. (a) For an educational institution under sub. (1) (ad) 4. or 5. to participate in the program under this section, before the June 1 preceding the school year in which the educational institution wishes to participate, the governing body of the educational institution shall do all of the following:

SB789,5,24 1. Adopt a motion specifying that the educational institution will participate in the program under this section in the following school year.

SB789,6,5 2. Adopt a written policy specifying the acceptance and rejection criteria described in subs. (5) and (6) that the educational institution will implement for the following school year and whether the governing body will delegate any of its duties under this section to the administrator, as defined in s. 118.60 (1) (ad), of the educational institution.

SB789,6,11 3. Publish and post on its Internet site, if applicable, that the educational institution will participate in the program under this section and, no later than 8 weeks before the date on which a course will begin, post a description of the course that will be available to pupils applying under sub. (3). The governing body of the educational institution shall maintain and update the description of available courses throughout the school year.

SB789,6,15 (b) If an educational institution under sub. (1) (ad) 4. or 5. does not participate in the program under this section, sub. (2) does not apply to a pupil attending the educational institution or to a pupil attending another educational institution who wishes to attend a course offered by the educational institution under this section.