Chapter 115

115.436(3)(am) (am) Beginning in the 2017-18 school year, from the appropriation under s. 20.255 (2) (ae), the department shall, subject to par. (b), pay to each school district that received aid under this section in the previous school year but does not satisfy the requirement under sub. (2) (a) or (2m) (a) in the current school year 50 percent of the amount received by the school district under par. (a) in the previous school year.

115.436(3)(ap) (ap) In the school year in which a school district consolidation takes effect under s. 117.08 or 117.09 and in each of the subsequent 4 school years, notwithstanding subs. (2) and (2m), the department shall pay the consolidated school district sparsity aid in an amount that is not less than 50 percent of the aggregate amount of sparsity aid received by the consolidating school districts in the school year prior to the school year in which the consolidation takes effect. This paragraph does not apply to a school district created by a consolidation under s. 117.08 or 117.09 that takes effect before July 1, 2019.

115.436(3)(b) (b) If the appropriation under s. 20.255 (2) (ae) in any fiscal year is insufficient to pay the full amount under pars. (a), (am), (ap), and (c), the department shall prorate the payments among the school districts entitled to aid under this subsection.

115.436(3)(c) (c) Beginning in the 2021-22 school year, from the appropriation under s. 20.255 (2) (ae) and subject to par. (b), the department shall pay to a school district that is eligible for sparsity aid under this paragraph $100 multiplied by the school district’s membership in the previous school year.

115.436 History History: 2007 a. 20; 2009 a. 28; 2015 a. 55, 305; 2017 a. 59, 141; 2021 a. 58; 2021 a. 240 s. 30.

115.437 115.437 Per pupil aid.

115.437(1) (1) In this section, “number of pupils enrolled” has the meaning given in s. 121.90 (1) (intro.) and includes 40 percent of the summer enrollment. “Number of pupils enrolled” does not include pupils described in the exception under s. 121.90 (1) (f).

115.437(2) (2) 

115.437(2)(a) (a) Except as provided in par. (b), annually on the 4th Monday of March, the department shall pay to each school district an amount equal to the average of the number of pupils enrolled in the school district in the current and 2 preceding school years multiplied by $75 in the 2013-14 school year, by $150 in the 2014-15 and 2015-16 school years, by $250 in the 2016-17 school year, by $450 in the 2017-18 school year, by $654 in the 2018-19 school year, by $679 and $63 in each school year thereafter. The department shall make the payments from the appropriation under s. 20.255 (2) (aq).

115.437(2)(b) (b)

115.437(2)(b)1. 1. The department shall make the payment under par. (a) for the 2015-16 school year on the 2nd Monday of July 2016.

115.437(2)(b)2. 2. The department shall consider the amount paid from s. 20.255 (2) (aq) under subd. 1. to be money appropriated to s. 20.255 (2) (aq) in the 2015-16 school year for purposes of calculating the change in the amount of statewide categorical aid per pupil under s. 118.40 (2r) (e) 2p. from the 2014-15 school year to the 2015-16 school year, from the 2015-16 school year to the 2016-17 school year, and from the 2016-17 school year to the 2017-18 school year.

115.437 History History: 2013 a. 20; 2015 a. 55; 2017 a. 59; 2017 a. 365 s. 111; 2019 a. 9.

115.438 115.438 Personal electronic computing devices; grant program.

115.438(1) (1) In this section:

115.438(1)(a) (a) “Membership” has the meaning given in s. 121.004 (5).

115.438(1)(b) (b) “Personal electronic computing device” means an electronic computing device that satisfies all of the following criteria:

115.438(1)(b)1. 1. The electronic computing device is a mobile device.

115.438(1)(b)2. 2. The electronic computing device is assignable to an individual pupil to be used solely by that pupil.

115.438(1)(b)3. 3. The electronic computing device may be used to access the Internet.

115.438(2) (2) Any of the following may apply for a grant under this section:

115.438(2)(a) (a) A school board.

115.438(2)(b) (b) An operator of a charter school under s. 118.40 (2r) or (2x).

115.438(2)(c) (c) The governing body of a private school.

115.438(2)(d) (d) A tribal school.

115.438(3) (3) A recipient of a grant under this section may use the grant only for the following purposes:

115.438(3)(a) (a) To purchase personal electronic computing devices.

115.438(3)(b) (b) To purchase software for personal electronic computing devices.

115.438(3)(c) (c) To purchase curriculum, including any related educational content or materials, a portion or all of which includes content that may be accessed on a personal electronic computing device.

115.438(3)(d) (d) To train professional staff on how to effectively incorporate personal electronic computing devices into a classroom and into the high school curriculum.

115.438(4) (4) 

115.438(4)(a) (a) Beginning in the 2018-19 school year and ending in the 2022-23 school year, from the appropriation under s. 20.255 (2) (aw) and subject to pars. (b) and (c), the department shall pay to each school district, operator of a charter school under s. 118.40 (2r) or (2x), governing body of a private school, and tribal school that applies for a grant under this section an amount calculated by multiplying $125 by one of the following:

115.438(4)(a)1. 1. For a school district, the number of 9th grade pupils included in the school district’s membership in the previous school year.

115.438(4)(a)2. 2. For an operator of a charter school under s. 118.40 (2r) or (2x), the number of 9th grade pupils attending the charter school in the current school year.

115.438(4)(a)3. 3. For a governing body of a private school, the number of 9th grade pupils attending the private school in the current school year.

115.438(4)(a)4. 4. For a tribal school, the number of 9th grade pupils attending the tribal school in the current school year.

115.438(4)(b) (b) As a condition of receiving a grant under par. (a), an applicant shall demonstrate to the satisfaction of the department that the applicant will provide matching funds in an amount equal to the grant award.

115.438(4)(c) (c) If the appropriation under s. 20.255 (2) (aw) in any fiscal year is insufficient to pay the full amount under par. (a), the department shall prorate the payments among the eligible applicants.

115.438 History History: 2017 a. 59.

115.44 115.44 Early identification program.

115.44(1) (1) The state superintendent shall establish an early identification program as part of the Wisconsin educational opportunity program under s. 115.28 (23). Early identification program costs shall be paid from the appropriation under s. 20.255 (1) (a). The early identification program shall assist minority and economically disadvantaged pupils in grades 8 to 12 in pursuing higher educational opportunities by providing direction toward attainment of career goals.

115.44(2) (2) Biennially, the state superintendent shall provide the governor and any appropriate standing committee of the legislature information on the performance of the early identification program and the postsecondary educational progress of the pupils who were enrolled in the program. The information shall include the number and ethnic backgrounds of the pupils who were enrolled in the program and college acceptance, retention and graduation rates of the pupils.

115.44 History History: 1987 a. 27; 1991 a. 39; 1995 a. 27 s. 9145 (1); 1997 a. 27.

115.445 115.445 Four-year-old kindergarten grants.

115.445(1) (1) A school board may apply to the department for a 2-year grant under this section to implement a 4-year-old kindergarten program.

115.445(2) (2) 

115.445(2)(a) (a) In the first school year of a grant awarded under this section, the department shall pay the school board up to $3,000 for each 4-year-old kindergarten pupil enrolled in the school district. In the succeeding school year, the department shall pay the school board up to $1,500 for each 4-year-old kindergarten pupil enrolled in the school district.

115.445(2)(b) (b) The department shall award grants under this section beginning in the 2008-09 school year and shall give preference in awarding grants to school boards that use community approaches to early education, as defined by the department by rule. If the funds in the appropriation under s. 20.255 (2) (dp) are insufficient to pay all eligible school boards, the department shall prorate the payments.

115.445(3) (3) The department shall promulgate rules to implement this section.

115.445 History History: 2007 a. 20.

115.445 Cross-reference Cross-reference: See also ch. PI 38, Wis. adm. code.

115.447 115.447 Summer school programs; grants.

115.447(1) (1) In this section, “eligible school district” means a 1st class city school district.

115.447(2) (2) Beginning in the 2018-19 school year and in each year thereafter, from the appropriation under s. 20.255 (2) (dj), the department shall award grants to eligible school districts to do any of the following:

115.447(2)(a) (a) Develop a summer school program.

115.447(2)(b) (b) Redesign a summer school program.

115.447(2)(c) (c) Implement a summer school program.

115.447(3) (3) The department shall promulgate rules to implement this section.

115.447 History History: 2017 a. 59.

115.45 115.45 Robotics league participation grants program.

115.45(1) (1) In this section:

115.45(1)(a) (a) “Allowable expenses” includes fees, kits, and supplies required to participate in a robotics competition, travel expenses to a robotics competition for eligible team members, and a stipend for the mentor of an eligible team.

115.45(1)(b) (b) “Eligible team” means any of the following:

115.45(1)(b)1. 1. A robotics competition team consisting of pupils in any of the grades 9 through 12 and at least one mentor.

115.45(1)(b)2. 2. A robotics competition team described in subd. 1. that also has one or more pupils in any of the grades 6 to 8.

115.45(1)(c) (c) “Robotics competition” means a competition that requires participating teams to design, construct, program, and operate robots and that is sponsored by a nonstock, nonprofit corporation, described under section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code and exempt from taxation under section 501 (a) of the Internal Revenue Code, having as one of its organizational purposes encouraging young people to develop an interest in science, engineering, technology, and math.

115.45(2) (2) 

115.45(2)(a) (a) Annually, the department shall notify school boards, operators of charter schools under s. 118.40 (2r) and (2x), governing bodies of private schools, and administrators of home-based private educational programs that applications for grants to participate in one or more robotics competitions will be accepted from eligible teams through a date set forth in the notice. As a condition of receiving a grant under this section, an applicant eligible team shall demonstrate to the satisfaction of the department that the applicant eligible team will provide matching funds in an amount equal to the amount awarded under this section.

115.45(2)(b) (b) From the appropriation under s. 20.255 (2) (dr), the department shall award grants to eligible teams selected from the applicants under par. (a). Grant funds awarded under this section may be applied only towards allowable expenses. The department cannot award to an eligible team more than $6,000 in a school year.

115.45(3) (3) The department shall publish on its Internet site a list of grant recipients and submit to the appropriate standing committees of the legislature under s. 13.172 (3) a report on the program under this section.

115.45 History History: 2015 a. 280; 2017 a. 59, 315; 2019 a. 9; 2021 a. 238 s. 45; 2023 a. 19.

115.455 115.455 Grant for information technology education.

115.455(1) (1) 

115.455(1)(a) (a) The department shall develop a competitive request-for-proposal process for the award of 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.

115.455(1)(b) (b) The department shall accept applications from entities responding to the request-for-proposal under par. (a) and shall, from the appropriation under s. 20.255 (2) (eb), award a grant to an entity that, subject to sub. (3), satisfies the requirements under sub. (2).

115.455(2) (2) To be eligible for a grant under this section, the entity shall demonstrate that it has successfully offered an information technology instructional program in schools in this state and shall develop an instructional program that includes all of the following components, and shall ensure that the instructional program will be operated in 225 sites, including 16 public libraries:

115.455(2)(a) (a) A research-based curriculum emphasizing the development of information technology skills.

115.455(2)(b) (b) Online access to the curriculum.

115.455(2)(c) (c) Instructional software for use in the classroom and at a pupil’s home.

115.455(2)(d) (d) A curriculum that aligns with the coding and other techniques included on the computer science Advanced Placement examination. In developing the curriculum required under this paragraph, the entity shall ensure that a pupil who successfully completes the curriculum and passes the Advanced Placement examination is eligible for certification.

115.455(2)(e) (e) Certifications of skills and competencies in a broad range of information technology-related skill areas, including applications used most often in businesses.

115.455(2)(f) (f) Professional development and co-teaching for teachers and administrators, including teachers providing instruction in the information technology program.

115.455(2)(g) (g) Deployment and program support, including integration of the information technology instructional program with curriculum standards.

115.455(2)(h) (h) Opportunities for pupils completing the information technology program to earn college credit.

115.455(3) (3) In awarding the grant under sub. (1), the department shall give preference 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 this state.

115.455 History History: 2017 a. 59; 2019 a. 9.

115.46 115.46 Interstate agreement on qualification of educational personnel. The interstate agreement on qualification of educational personnel is hereby enacted into law and entered into with all jurisdictions legally joining therein, in the form substantially as follows:

INTERSTATE AGREEMENT ON QUALIFICATION

OF EDUCATIONAL PERSONNEL