Wisconsin Legislature: 001 - EmR1608 Rule Text

PI 48.06 School year enrollment.

(1) APPLICATION ACCEPTANCE. A school may not accept pupil applications until the school has completed all of the following:

(a) The school has submitted to the department its notice of intent to participate for the following school year.

(b) The department has approved the school’s plan for randomly selecting pupils to participate in the school’s program or the school has adopted the random selection agreement provided by the department as set forth under s. PI 48.03 (3) (a) or (4) (a).

(2) APPLICATION ELIGIBILITY & VERIFICATION DETERMINATION.

(a) A school participating in the Racine parental choice program shall make application eligibility determinations based on the requirements in s. PI 48.05 prior to random selection, prior to the next application period, within 60 days after the school receives the application, or prior to the next count date, whichever occurs first. Applications determined eligible shall also be verified in the online application system within 60 days after the school receives the application or prior to the next count date, whichever occurs first.

(b) Within the time period specified under s. 118.60 (3) (ar) 2., Stats., a school participating in the Wisconsin parental choice program shall determine and verify in the online application system if an application meets the eligibility requirements in s. PI 48.05.

(3) RANDOM SELECTION. A school participating in the Racine parental choice program shall accept pupils on a random basis in accordance with the method submitted to the department and approved under s. PI 48.03 (3) (a) 1. or (4) (a). Except as provided in s. 118.60 (3) (ar), Stats., a school participating in a Wisconsin parental choice program shall accept pupils on a random basis in accordance with the method submitted and approved under s. PI 48.03 (3) (a) 1 or (4) (a).

(4) APPLICATION RETENTION. A school shall retain the following records for at least 5 years from the end of the school year in which the pupil applied to the school unless the department or a law enforcement agency requires the school to retain the records for a longer period:

(a) Electronic or paper copies of pupil paper applications and supporting income and residency documentation required under s. PI 48.05 (2) and (4) for all accepted and non-accepted choice pupils who have submitted applications to the school.

(b) Copies of all notices to a pupil or pupil’s parent regarding acceptance and non-acceptance.

(5) SIMULTANEOUSLY ENROLLED PUPIL. A pupil participating in a private school choice program may not be simultaneously enrolled, in or out of Wisconsin, in another private school, a home-based private educational program, a charter school under s. 118.40 (2r) or (2x), Stats., or a public school district and receive a private school choice program payment under s. 118.60, Stats. A pupil receiving a payment under s. 118.60, Stats., may not receive a payment under s. 115.7915 (4m), Stats.

(6) FULL-TIME EQUIVALENT. The amount paid by the department to a school under s. 118.60 (4), Stats., shall be based on the full-time equivalent for each pupil times the payment amount in s. 118.60 (4), Stats. The full-time equivalent shall be determined as follows:

(a) Pupils in grades one through 12 shall be one full-time equivalent.

(b) A kindergarten pupil shall be one-half full-time equivalent except as follows:

1. A pupil enrolled in a 5-year-old kindergarten program requiring full-day attendance for 5 days a week for an entire school year shall be one full-time equivalent.

2. The full-time equivalent for a pupil enrolled in a 5-year-old kindergarten program requiring full-day attendance for fewer than 5 days a week for an entire school year shall be calculated as follows:

a. Multiply the number of hours in each day in which the pupil is enrolled by the total number of days for which the pupil is enrolled.

b. Divide the result under subd. 2. a. by the product of the number of hours of attendance per day required of first grade pupils in the public school district in which the school is located.

c. Multiply the result under subd. 2. b. by 180.

d. Round the result under subd. 2. c. to one decimal point.

3. A school may count a pupil enrolled in a 4-year-old kindergarten program that provides the required number of hours of direct pupil instruction under s. 121.02 (1) (f), Stats., as a 0.6 pupil if the program also annually provides at least 87.5 additional hours of 4-year-old kindergarten outreach activities.

4. For purposes of subds. 1. and 2., "full-day" means the length of the school day required for first grade pupils in the public school district in which a school is operating.

(7) SEPTEMBER 1 APPLICATION AND CLASS LIST SUBMISSION. Annually by September 1, a school shall submit to the department in the online application system or other manner specified by the department all of the following:

(a) All accepted applications.

(b) A class list of all pupils participating in each choice program enrolled in the school.

(8) APPLICATION SUBMISSION AND PUPIL COUNT REPORTS. Annually by October 1 and February 1, a school shall submit to the department, using the online application system or other manner specified by the department, all of the following:

(a) A pupil count report stating all of the following:

1. The grade of each pupil participating in each choice program on the immediately preceding count date. In order to be eligible for payment, a 4-year-old kindergarten pupil, 5-year-old kindergarten pupil, and first grade pupil shall attain the age specified in s. 118.14, Stats.

2. Whether each choice program pupil meets the requirements under sub. (9).

3. The total number of pupils in the school on the immediately preceding count date that meet the requirements under sub. (9).

(b) As part of the pupil count report for the third Friday in September, a school participating in the Wisconsin parental choice program shall determine the address of a pupil on the third Friday in September for all incoming choice pupils as defined in s. 118.60 (4d) (a), Stats. If an incoming choice pupil has moved, the school shall do all of the following:

1. Obtain residency documentation for the new address that meets the requirements of s. PI 48.05 (2) and is dated between the third Friday in August and October 1.

2. Determine the resident school district for the new address as prescribed under s. PI 48.05 (3).

(9) COUNT REQUIREMENTS. A school may include a pupil on its pupil count report under sub. (8) (a) only if one of following applies:

(a) The pupil is in attendance for instruction on the count date.

(b) The pupil is absent on the count date but attended the school for instruction at least one day during the school term prior to the count date and at least one day after the count date, and the pupil was not enrolled in another school in or out of Wisconsin, including another private school, a home-based educational program, a charter school under s. 118.40 (2r) or (2x), Stats., or a public school district, during the period of absence from the school.

PI 48.07 Enrollment audits.

(1) REPORT COMPLETION AND SUBMISSION. A school shall engage an auditor to complete the enrollment audit for the school’s enrollment reported under s. PI 48.06 (8). The auditor shall compile the enrollment audit using agreed upon procedures that identify ineligible pupils for whom the school has received payment under s. 118.60 (4) or (4m), Stats., and additional eligible pupils qualifying the school for a payment. The school shall submit its third Friday in September enrollment audit to the department by December 15. The school shall submit its second Friday in January enrollment audit to the department by May 1.

(2) SCHOOL RECORDS. A school shall provide its auditor with the official attendance records and the original classroom records for the auditor’s use in conducting the enrollment audit. The official attendance records shall identify pupils participating in the choice program.

(3) REQUIRED PROCEDURES. An auditor shall complete the procedures specified in the department’s audit guide, including all of the following:

(a)

Determine the school’s process for preparing attendance records and accepting and reviewing applications.

(b) Verify that any 4-year-old kindergarten program under s. 121.004 (7) (cm), Stats., includes at least 87.5 hours of 4-year-old kindergarten outreach activities as documented by teacher logs.

(d) Complete testing of the pupil enrollment software. If the auditor does not use the test plan provided by the department, the auditor shall annually submit the plan to the department for approval.

(e) Verify that the total number of pupils participating in the choice programs and the total number of pupils attending the school on the official attendance records match the total number of pupils based on the original classroom records for each grade.

(f) Verify the enrollment for all choice program pupils reported on the pupil count report under s. PI 48.06 (8) (a) using the school’s official attendance records.

(g) Verify that all choice program pupils the school includes on its official attendance records are also included on the original classroom records. Also verify that all choice program pupils the school includes on the school’s original classroom records are also included on the official attendance records.

(h) Verify that the choice program pupils meet the requirements of s. PI 48.06 (9).

(i) Verify that the school did not receive a payment under s. 118.60 (4) or (4m), Stats., for any of the following:

1. Pupils for whom the school is receiving a childcare payment for all day care.

2. Pupils who are enrolled in a partnership or contract school of a public school district.

3. Pupils participating in the program under s. 115.7915, Stats.

(j) Reconcile tuition revenues and pupils for whom tuition is waived with the school’s official attendance records that identify pupils who do not participate in the choice program. If the school charges a choice program pupil tuition, ensure the school obtained documentation indicating the pupil meets the requirements of s. 118.60 (3m) (b), Stats.

(k) Select a sample of at least 60 pupils not participating in the choice program from original classroom records and verify the school included the selected pupils in the pupil count report under s. PI 48.06 (8). The sample shall include pupils from each classroom. If the pupils are in different classrooms during the day, the auditor may select one period and select pupils from each classroom for that period. If the auditor identifies an auditing exception, the auditor shall increase the sample size in increments of 60 pupils until the auditor finds no additional exceptions or until the auditor verifies that all pupils have been properly included in reported enrollments. If the school has an enrollment of fewer than 60 pupils who did not participate in the choice program, the auditor shall examine records for all pupils who did not participate in the choice program.

(L) Reconcile the enrollment the school reported to the department under s. 115.30 (3), Stats., with the official attendance records of the school.

(m) Verify that the applications for pupils participating in the choice program meet the requirements of s. PI 48.05. If an applicant to the Wisconsin parental choice program moved, the auditor shall verify that the residency documentation obtained pursuant to s. PI 48.06 (8) (b) meets the requirements of that paragraph.

(n) Verify that any pupils in 4-year-old kindergarten, 5-year-old kindergarten or first grade meet the age requirements in s. 118.14, Stats.

(o) If the school operated a summer school program, review all school documentation to support the summer school report the school filed with the department. The review shall be part of the third Friday in September enrollment audit.

(p) Perform other auditing procedures as agreed upon by the auditor and the department.

(4) CERTIFICATIONS.

(a) Upon review of the enrollment audits, the department shall certify an amount due from a school for payments made to the school for ineligible pupils or an amount due to the school for additional eligible pupils. If a school fails to provide an enrollment audit, the department may determine that all choice pupils are ineligible.

(b) The school shall refund to the department the amount certified as due to the department. If the school is currently eligible to receive choice program payments, the department shall reduce the payments made under s. 118.60 (4) and (4m), Stats., by the amount owed. If the school is not currently eligible to receive choice program payments, the school shall refund the department within 30 days of the date of the certification letter.

(c) The department shall pay any additional amount due to the school for qualifying pupils within 60 days of the date of the certification letter.

Note: The Enrollment Audit may be obtained at no charge from the Wisconsin department of public instruction’s webpage at http://dpi.wi.gov/sms/choice-programs.

PI 48.08 Summer school attendance and payment.

(1) DEFINITION. In this section, "academic purposes" means summer school learning experiences that are related or similar to instruction the school offers during the regular school year or for which credit toward graduation is given.

(2) LIST OF CLASSES. Annually by May 1, a school shall submit the list to the department of academic summer school classes and laboratory periods. The department shall annually review the list to ensure the classes are for academic purposes.

(3) PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS.

(a) To be eligible to receive a choice program summer school payment, a school shall offer no fewer than nineteen summer days of instruction during the summer. Each summer day of instruction offered by the school shall be comprised of no fewer than 270 minutes of instruction for academic purposes. A school may count any of the following as instruction for academic purposes:

1. Music programs, lessons, sections or clinics.

2. Swimming instruction programs, if taught or directed on the school site.

3. Field trips if accompanied by a teacher and if all pupils have equal access to the field trips regardless of a pupil’s ability to pay.

(b) A school may not count any of the following as instruction for academic purposes:

1. Travel time to events, including field trips.

2. Performances, including band, orchestra, choir, parades and theatrical performances.

3. Recreational programs and team sports.

4. Participation in fairs or expositions by career and technical student organizations.

5. Classes taught by a teacher that is funded through Title I of the elementary and secondary education act.