2. For nonschool days, 100 percent to the City of Milwaukee.
Under the bill, “school day” means 1) a day on which school is actually taught and 2) a day on which school is not taught because school is closed due to inclement weather, parent-teacher conferences, an order of a local health officer or DHS, or a threat to the health or safety of pupils or school personnel.
Computer science course requirement
The bill requires school boards, independent charter schools, and private schools participating in a parental choice program to make available to pupils in grades 9 to 12 at least one computer science course, which must include concepts in computer programming or coding.
Participation in high school graduation ceremonies
The bill prohibits school boards, independent charter schools, and private schools participating in a parental choice program or the SNSP from excluding a pupil from a high school graduation ceremony due to the pupil’s or the pupil’s family’s failure to pay any outstanding fees or charges. Under current law, pupil participation in high school graduation ceremonies is determined under school board, charter school, or private school policies.
Access to period products in schools
The bill requires school boards and independent charter schools to provide period products to any pupil who needs them while at school, at no charge to the pupil. In addition, the bill requires DPI to distribute aid for the provision of period products to certain school districts and independent charter schools. Under the bill, a school district or independent charter school is eligible for aid if the school district or independent charter school had a greater percentage of economically disadvantaged pupils enrolled in or attending the school district or independent charter school than the statewide percentage of economically disadvantaged pupils in the previous school year. Under the bill, DPI must distribute to each eligible school district and independent charter school the greater of $100 or an amount that is proportionate to the number of economically disadvantaged pupils enrolled in or attending the eligible school district or independent charter school in the previous school year compared to the total number of economically disadvantaged pupils enrolled in or attending eligible school districts or independent charter schools in the previous school year. If the amount appropriated for this aid is insufficient to pay the full amount of aid, DPI must prorate the aid payments among the eligible school districts and independent charter schools. The bill defines an “economically disadvantaged pupil” as a pupil who satisfies the federal income eligibility requirements for a free or reduced-price lunch.
Primary and secondary education: administrative and other funding
Early literacy coaches
Under current law, the Office of Literacy in DPI must establish and supervise a literacy coaching program to improve literacy outcomes in this state. Specifically, the Office of Literacy, in consultation with cooperative educational service agencies, must contract for up to 64 full-time equivalent literacy coaches. Current law requires the Office of Literacy to assign one-half of the literacy coaches to schools based on pupil scores on the third grade reading assessment and one-half of the literacy coaches to schools that request early literacy support. The latter half of the literacy coaches must be dispersed evenly among cooperative educational service agency regions. In addition, current law prohibits the Office of Literacy from assigning more than a total of 10 literacy coaches to a first class city school district and more than a total of four literacy coaches to a school district that is not a first class city school district.
Under current law, the Office of Literacy and the literacy coaching program sunset on July 1, 2028. The bill eliminates this sunset. Beginning in the 2026–27 school year, the bill increases the maximum number of full-time equivalent literacy coaches to 100, increases the maximum number of literacy coaches that may be assigned to a first class city school district to 16, and increases the maximum number of literacy coaches that may be assigned to a school district that is not a first class city school district to six.
Early literacy tutoring grants
The bill requires DPI to create a competitive grant program, under which it awards grants to community-based nonprofit organizations to provide literacy tutoring, including high-dosage literacy tutoring, to pupils who are in five-year-old kindergarten to third grade and do not yet read at grade-level. The bill defines “literacy tutoring” as tutoring that includes science-based early reading instruction and does not include three cueing. High-dosage literacy tutoring is defined under the bill as literacy tutoring that is provided in a one-on-one or small group setting, at least three times per week for at least 30 minutes each session, by the same tutor who is professionally trained and receives ongoing training, that includes high-quality instructional materials that align with classroom content, and that is held during school hours.
Early childhood special education; coaches
Under current law, school boards and operators of independent charter schools must identify, locate, and evaluate children with disabilities who are in need of special education and related services and make available a free appropriate public education to those children if they are at least three years old. The process of identifying, locating, and evaluating children with disabilities who may need special education or related services is known as “Child Find.”
The bill provides $600,000 in funding for DPI to contract with cooperative educational service agencies to employ regional child care collaboration coaches to promote Child Find to child care providers and provide training, technical assistance, and consultation to, and facilitate collaboration between, child care providers, operators of independent charter schools, and school boards for the purpose of providing special education and related services to children with disabilities.
Transferring Head Start state supplement to DCF
The bill transfers the Head Start state supplement from DPI to DCF. The bill transfers from the state superintendent to the secretary of children and families the responsibilities of determining whether agencies are eligible for designation as Head Start agencies under the federal Head Start program to provide comprehensive health, educational, nutritional, social, and other services to economically disadvantaged children and their families, and of distributing federal Head Start funds to those eligible agencies.
Community-based 4K approach
Under current law, a school board may, but is not required to, provide four-year-old kindergarten (4K). Currently, many school boards provide 4K using a public-private partnership approach, often referred to as the community approach. The community approach includes contracts between school boards and community-based providers that define the roles and responsibilities of the parties related to the operation of a 4K program.
Under the bill, DPI must, in consultation with DCF, develop a model community-based approach 4K contract by January 1, 2026. DPI must also, in consultation with DCF, establish by rule a standard per pupil payment to be paid to the community-based provider under the model contract.
Career and technical student organizations; grants
Under current law, DPI must maintain a career and technical student organizations (CTSO) team that consists of six consultants, each of whom is assigned an educational area. Specifically, DPI’s CTSO team must have a consultant in agriculture education, business education, technology education, family and consumer sciences education, marketing education, and health science education. Under the bill, DPI must annually identify one CTSO for each of these educational areas and distribute state funding to each identified CTSO based on the number of pupils who were members of the CTSO in the previous school year.
Teacher apprenticeship pathway to licensure
The bill requires DPI to issue an initial license to teach to an individual who holds a bachelor’s degree, successfully completes a teacher apprenticeship offered through DWD, and if the initial license is to teach in grades kindergarten to five, to teach in special education, or to teach as a reading teacher or specialist, pass an examination identical to the Foundations of Reading test, commonly called the FORT. The bill also requires DPI to consult with DWD in the creation of DWD’s teacher apprenticeship program so that an individual who completes DWD’s teacher apprenticeship program will satisfy many of the requirements to obtain a license to teach from DPI, including the requirement that an applicant receive instruction in the study of minority group relations, that an applicant demonstrate competency related to various conflict resolution skills, and that an applicant for a license to teach reading or language arts to prekindergarten class to sixth grade successfully completes instruction in science-based early reading instruction. See Employment.
Grow Your Own programs
The bill creates a new grant program administered by DPI and available to school districts and operators of independent charter schools to reimburse the cost of “Grow Your Own” programs. Under the bill, Grow Your Own programs include high school clubs that encourage careers in teaching, payment of costs associated with current staff acquiring education needed for licensure, support for career pathways using dual enrollment, support for partnerships focused on attracting or developing new teachers, or incentives for paraprofessionals to gain licensure. The bill appropriates $5,000,000 in fiscal year 2026–27 for this purpose.
Educators rising; grant
The bill requires DPI to create a competitive request-for-proposal process to award a grant to an entity for the purpose of subsidizing cocurricular opportunities for public school pupils that encourage those pupils to pursue a career in teaching. Under the bill, to be eligible for this grant, an entity must demonstrate to DPI that it has successfully supported this type of cocurricular opportunities in public schools in this state.
Arts for All
Under current law, GPR is appropriated to DPI for Very Special Arts Wisconsin, Inc. In 2019, Very Special Arts Wisconsin changed its name to Arts for All Wisconsin. The bill updates the appropriation to reflect this name change.
Graduation Alliance
The bill requires the state superintendent of public instruction to annually distribute an amount appropriated to DPI to Graduation Alliance, Inc., to support pupils and their families through an academic coaching program known as Engage Wisconsin. Currently, DPI partners with Graduation Alliance, Inc., to provide Engage Wisconsin to pupils and their families.
Mentor Greater Milwaukee, Inc.
The bill requires DPI to award grants to Mentor Greater Milwaukee, Inc., to expand access to quality youth mentoring in Milwaukee County.
The Literacy Lab
The bill requires the state superintendent of public instruction to annually distribute an amount appropriated to DPI to The Literacy Lab to provide an evidence-based literacy intervention program in public schools located in Milwaukee and Racine.
Grants for information technology education
The bill makes several changes to the information technology education grant program. Under current law, DPI must develop a competitive request-for-proposal process to award a grant to an entity to provide information technology education opportunities to public school pupils in grades 6 to 12, technical college district students, and patrons of public libraries. Currently, to be eligible for the grant, an entity must 1) demonstrate that it has successfully offered an information technology instructional program in schools in Wisconsin; 2) develop an instructional program that includes eight different components specified under current law; and 3) ensure that the instructional program will be operated in 225 sites, including 16 public libraries. In addition, under current law, DPI must give preference in awarding the grant to an entity that demonstrates that it has successfully provided high-quality information technology instructional programming and educational opportunities to pupils enrolled in or attending schools in Wisconsin.
The bill provides that DPI may award the information technology education grants to multiple entities. Under the bill, grants do not need to be awarded through a request-for-proposal process, and the grants are for the provision of certification opportunities in addition to information technology education. The bill modifies the eligibility criteria for the grants to require grant recipients to develop an instructional program that includes at least one of the eight components specified under current law and to maximize the number of sites at which the instructional program will be operated. In addition to the current law preference requirements, the bill requires DPI to give preference in awarding grants to entities that will develop an instructional program that includes more than one of the eight components specified under current law.
Student teacher stipends
The bill provides stipends, through DPI, to student teachers who are completing a teacher preparatory program that is approved by the superintendent of public instruction. The stipends are $2,500 per student teacher per semester, and begin in the 2026–27 school year. Receipt of a stipend under the bill does not preclude an individual from receiving a payment under the Wisconsin Teacher Improvement Program, which currently provides stipends to prospective teachers in one-semester internships.
Cooperating teacher stipends
The bill provides stipends, through DPI, to teachers who are overseeing a student teacher in their classrooms. The stipends are in the amount of $1,000 per teacher per semester and begin in the 2026–27 school year.
Fees for licensure of school and public library personnel; appropriation changes
Under current law, 90 percent of the fees collected by DPI for licensure of school and public library personnel and for school districts’ participation in DPI’s teacher improvement program are credited to an annual sum certain appropriation. The remaining 10 percent of these fees are deposited into the general fund under current law. The bill changes this annual sum certain appropriation to a continuing appropriation and requires that 100 percent of the total fees collected by DPI be credited to the appropriation. An annual sum certain appropriation is expendable only up to the amount shown in the schedule and only for the fiscal year for which it is made. A continuing appropriation is expendable until fully depleted or repealed.
Under current law and the bill, the purposes of the appropriation are for 1) DPI’s administrative costs related to licensure of school and public library personnel; 2) if DPI exercises its authority to provide information and analysis of the professional school personnel supply in this state, the costs of providing that information and analysis; and 3) DPI’s teacher improvement program.
GED test fee payments
The bill requires DPI to pay the testing service fee for an eligible individual who takes a content area test given under the general educational development (GED) test. The GED test consists of four separate content area tests that cover mathematical reasoning and reasoning through language arts, social studies, and science. Under the bill, DPI will pay for an eligible individual to take all four content area tests once in each calendar year.
In order to be eligible for the payment, an individual must satisfy DPI’s requirements to receive a Certificate of General Educational Development or a High School Equivalency Diploma. Among other things, DPI requires that the individual meet certain residency and minimum age requirements and attend a counseling session. The individual also must obtain a passing score on a GED practice test for the content area (commonly called a GED Ready practice test).
Farm to school program
The bill provides GPR to DPI for the purpose of providing matching funds for grants from the federal government for the farm to school program. The farm to school program promotes the use of locally and regionally grown foods in schools.
Information technology systems; modernization expenses
The bill appropriates GPR to DPI for the purpose of modernizing information systems used by DPI.
Higher education
Administrative attachment of HEAB and DLAB to DOA
Under current law, the HEAB is an independent agency in the executive branch of state government. HEAB administers most of the state’s higher education financial aid programs.
The bill attaches HEAB to DOA for administrative purposes. Under current law, a board that is attached to another agency for administrative purposes is a distinct unit of that agency and exercises its powers and duties independently of that agency, but performs budgeting, program coordination, and related management functions under the direction and supervision of that agency.
Under current law, the Distance Learning Authorization Board (DLAB) is administratively attached to HEAB. DLAB administers the state’s reciprocity agreement governing authorization and oversight of higher education institutions that provide distance education to out-of-state students.
The bill attaches DLAB for administrative purposes to DOA instead of HEAB.
Nonresident tuition exemption for undocumented individuals and certain tribal members enrolled in the UW System or a technical college
The bill creates a nonresident tuition exemptions for certain UW System and technical college students.
Current law allows the Board of Regents of the UW System to charge different tuition rates to resident and nonresident students. A person generally must be a resident of this state for at least 12 months prior to registering at a UW System institution in order to be exempt from paying nonresident tuition. However, current law also includes nonresident tuition exemptions, under which certain nonresident students pay resident tuition rates.
Also under current law, the TCS Board establishes program fees that technical college districts must charge students. With exceptions, the fees for nonresidents are 150 percent of the fees for residents. The TCS Board must establish procedures to determine the residence of students attending technical colleges, but current law specifies that certain students must be considered residents of this state.
The bill creates an exemption from nonresident tuition for an individual who is not a citizen of the United States and who 1) graduated from a Wisconsin high school or received a declaration of equivalency of high school graduation from Wisconsin; 2) was continuously present in Wisconsin for at least three years following the first day of attending a Wisconsin high school or immediately preceding receipt of a declaration of equivalency of high school graduation; and 3) enrolls in a UW System institution and provides the institution with proof stating that he or she has filed or will file an application for lawful permanent resident status with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services as soon as the individual is eligible to do so. The bill also provides that such an individual is considered a resident of this state for purposes of admission to and payment of fees at a technical college.
The bill also creates a nonresident tuition exemption for certain tribal members. Under the bill, a student enrolled in a UW System institution or technical college qualifies for resident tuition or fee rates if all of the following apply:
1. The student is a member of a federally recognized American Indian tribe or band in Wisconsin or is a member of a federally recognized tribe in Minnesota, Illinois, Iowa, or Michigan.
2. The student has resided in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois, Iowa, or Michigan, or in any combination of these states, for at least 12 months prior to enrolling in a UW System institution or technical college.
Tuition and fee remission for certain tribal members and student teachers enrolled in the UW System or a technical college
The bill grants full remission of tuition and fees for certain tribal members who are UW System or technical college students. Under the bill, a student is exempt from tuition and segregated fees at a UW System institution and from tuition and incidental fees at a technical college if the student is a resident of this state and an enrolled member of a federally recognized American Indian tribe in this state. The student is eligible for the remission for 128 credits or eight semesters, whichever is longer, but only if the student maintains a cumulative grade point average of at least 2.0.
The bill also grants full remission of tuition for student teachers enrolled in the UW System or a technical college during their semester of student teaching. The remission applies for a student who is a resident of this state and is participating in the student teaching component of an educator preparatory program approved by DPI.
Tuition grant program for national guard members
The bill also makes changes to DMA’s tuition grant program for national guard members. See Military Affairs.
Expansion of the nurse educator financial assistance program to allied health, behavioral health, and dentistry professions
Under current law, HEAB administers a nurse educator program that provides 1) fellowships to students who enroll in certain postgraduate nursing degree programs at institutions of higher education, 2) postdoctoral fellowships to recruit faculty for nursing programs at institutions of higher education, and 3) educational loan repayment assistance to recruit and retain faculty for nursing programs in institutions of higher education. Individuals who receive financial assistance under the program must make a commitment to teach for at least three consecutive years in a nursing program at an institution of higher education.
The bill expands the program to provide the same financial assistance and teaching commitment requirement to certain individuals in allied health, behavioral health, and dentistry professions, as defined in the bill.
Health care provider loan assistance program
The bill makes five new categories of health care providers eligible for the health care provider loan assistance (HCPLA) program and provides additional funding for loans to these health care providers.
Under current law, the Board of Regents of the UW System administers the HCPLA program under which it may repay, on behalf of a health care provider, up to $25,000 in loans for education related to the health care provider’s field of practice. The repayment occurs over three years, with 40 percent of the loan or $10,000, whichever is less, repaid in each of the first two years of participation in the program and the final 20 percent or $5,000, whichever is less, repaid in the third year. A health care provider is defined as a dental hygienist, dental therapist, physician assistant, nurse-midwife, or nurse practitioner. The Board of Regents must enter into a written agreement with the health care provider in which the health care provider agrees to practice at least 32 clinic hours per week for three years in one or more eligible practice areas in this state or in a rural area. An “eligible practice area” is defined as a free or charitable clinic, a primary care shortage area, a mental health shortage area, an American Indian reservation or trust lands of an American Indian tribe, or, for a dental hygienist, a dental health shortage area or a free or charitable clinic. Money for loan repayments is derived from several sources, and loan repayments are subject to availability of funds. If insufficient funds are available to repay the loans of all eligible applicants, the Board of Regents must establish priorities among the eligible applicants based on specified considerations, including factors related to the degree of the health care need and shortage in the area. However, some funding for loan repayments is available only for health care providers who practice in rural areas.
The bill adds medical assistants, dental assistants, dental auxiliaries, behavioral health providers, and substance abuse treatment providers to the health care providers who are eligible for loan repayment under the HCPLA program. These health care providers are eligible under the current terms of the program, except medical assistants. Medical assistants are eligible for loan repayment of up to $12,500 in total, with repayments of 40 percent of the loan or $5,000, whichever is less, in each of the first two years and 20 percent or $2,500, whichever is less, in the third year. For purposes of an eligible practice area, dental assistants, dental auxiliaries, and dental therapists are treated similarly to the way dental hygienists are treated under current law.
Expanding the rural dentistry scholarship program
Under current law, HEAB in consultation with DHS administers a scholarship program for students enrolled in the Marquette University School of Dentistry (MUSD) who agree to practice dentistry in a dental health shortage area for 18 months for each annual scholarship received. A “dental health shortage area” is an area that is federally designated as having a shortage of dental professionals, not including Brown, Dane, Kenosha, Milwaukee, and Waukesha Counties. From the program, HEAB may award to no more than 15 MUSD students an annual scholarship of $30,000 per year for up to four years. A student who fails to meet their obligation to practice in a dental health shortage area for the requisite period must repay the amount of scholarship received.
The bill expands the scholarship program to include dental general practice residents as possible recipients of the scholarship, in addition to any student enrolled in the MUSD.
Parkinson’s disease registry
The bill directs the Population Health Institute (PHI), or its successor, at the UW-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health to establish and maintain a Parkinson’s disease registry and to collect data on the incidence and prevalence of Parkinson’s disease and parkinsonisms in this state. The bill defines “parkinsonism” as a condition that is similar or related to Parkinson’s disease.
In addition, under the bill, if a health care provider treats or diagnoses a patient with Parkinson’s disease or a parkinsonism, that health care provider or the health care facility that employs or contracts with the health care provider must report information about the patient’s Parkinson’s disease or parkinsonism to PHI for purposes of the Parkinson’s disease registry. If a patient declines to participate in the Parkinson’s disease registry, the health care provider or health care facility must report only the incident of the patient’s Parkinson’s disease or parkinsonism.
The bill directs PHI to create a website for the Parkinson’s disease registry that includes annual reports on the incidence and prevalence of Parkinson’s disease in this state. The bill also authorizes UW-Madison to enter into agreements in order to furnish data from the Parkinson’s disease registry to another state’s Parkinson’s disease registry, a federal Parkinson’s disease control agency, a local health officer, or a researcher who proposes to conduct research on Parkinson’s disease, subject to certain confidentiality requirements. In addition, the bill requires the UW System to allocate from its general program operations appropriation $3,900,000 in fiscal year 2025–26 and $2,400,000 in fiscal year 2026–27 to establish the statewide Parkinson’s disease registry.
UW System funding allocations and grant to the Institute for Healthy Aging
