SB 288

This bill makes a number of changes to the law governing the Milwaukee

Parental Choice Program, the Racine Parental Choice Program, and the statewide

parental choice program (parental choice programs). The changes are to take effect

in the 2014-15 school year.

Family income for pupil eligibility

Current law permits a pupil to attend a participating private school under the

Racine Parental Choice Program or the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program if the

pupil resides in the Racine Unified School District (RUSD) or the Milwaukee Public

School District (MPS), respectively, and the family income of the pupil does not

exceed three times the federal poverty level.

2013 Wisconsin Act 20

(the biennial

budget bill) (Act 20) established a new parental choice program under which a pupil

who resides in a school district other than RUSD or MPS may, beginning in the

2013-14 school year, attend a participating private school if the family income of the

pupil does not exceed 1.85 times the federal poverty level. Under each parental

choice program, if the family income of a pupil who is attending a private school

under the program increases, the pupil may continue to attend a private school under

the program.

Under this bill, beginning in the 2014-15 school year, no pupil whose family

income exceeds 1.85 times the federal poverty level may attend a participating

private school under any of the parental choice programs. The bill makes no changes

to the provisions governing a pupil who is attending a private school under the

program and whose family income increases.

Per pupil payments

Under current law, in the 2013-14 school year, for each pupil enrolled in a

private school under a parental choice program, the department must pay to the

private school an amount equal to the private school's per pupil operating and debt

service cost that is related to educational programming (educational costs) or $6,442

(the maximum payment per pupil), whichever is less. Also under current law, in the

2014-15 school year, the maximum payment per pupil increases to $7,210 for a pupil

enrolled in a grade from kindergarten to 8 and to $7,856 for a pupil enrolled in a grade

from 9 to 12.

Beginning in the 2014-15 school year, if a private school enrolls pupils under

a parental choice program in any grade from K to 8 and also in any grade from 9 to

12, current law prohibits the department from determining separate educational

costs for pupils enrolled in grades K to 8 and for pupils enrolled in grades 9 to 12.

Instead, the maximum payment per pupil for that school would be an amount

determined by: (a) multiplying the number of pupils enrolled in the school under a

choice program in any grade from K to 8 by the maximum payment amount for those