Medicaid expansion and eligibility for BadgerCare Plus and BadgerCare Plus Core, accountability provisions for private schools participating in a parental choice program, requiring the exercise of rule-making authority, and making an appropriation. (FE)

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. Current law also permits a pupil who resides in a school district other than RUSD or MPS to 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 2016-17 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, beginning in the 2015-16 school year, the maximum per pupil payment in any given school year is equal to the maximum per pupil payment in the previous school year plus the revenue limit per pupil adjustment, if positive, provided to school districts in the current year plus the change in total categorical aid funding per pupil, if positive, from the prior year to the current year.

This bill eliminates this method for determining per pupil payments to participating private schools. Under this bill, beginning in the 2016-17 school year, for each pupil enrolled in a private school under a parental choice program, the department must pay the lesser of the following: a) the private school's per pupil eligible education expenses; b) a rolling average of the tuition paid by a pupil attending the private school, but not under a parental choice program, in the current and two preceding school years; or c) $6,442.

Teacher licensure With certain exceptions, current law requires that the teachers and administrators employed by a private school participating in a parental choice program have at least a bachelor's degree from an accredited institution of higher education. The teachers and administrators are not required to be licensed by the department.

With certain exceptions, this bill requires that all instructional staff of private schools participating in a parental choice program hold a license or permit issued by the department. "Instructional staff" means all professional employees who have as part of their responsibility direct contact with pupils or with the private school's instructional program.

Background investigations of teachers and administrators Under current law, the state superintendent of public instruction (state superintendent) must, with the assistance of the Department of Justice (DOJ), conduct a background investigation of each applicant for issuance or renewal of a license or permit. Current law requires the state superintendent to revoke a license issued to an individual (licensee) by the state superintendent for incompetency or immoral conduct on the part of the licensee; if the licensee is convicted of certain Class A, B, C, D, E, F, G, or H felonies or certain other crimes or violations, including sex offenses; or if the licensee is liable for delinquent taxes or is delinquent in making court-ordered payments of child or family support payments.

This bill requires each private school participating in a parental choice program to conduct a background check of each teacher and administrator employed by the private school on the effective date of the bill. The bill also requires each participating private school to conduct a background check prior to extending an offer of employment to an individual who applies to teach in or serve as an administrator of the private school. Finally, the bill requires the private school to annually conduct a background check of each teacher and administrator employed by the private school. The bill prohibits a participating private school from employing a teacher or administrator who would not be eligible for employment in a public school for any of the reasons identified above. The bill also authorizes the state superintendent to immediately terminate a private school's participation in a parental choice program if the owner of the private school would not be eligible for employment for any of the reasons identified above or if the private school employs a teacher or administrator without conducting a background check or the teacher or administrator would be ineligible to be licensed for any of the reasons identified above.

Reading readiness assessments of participating pupils Under current law, each school board and the governing body of each independent charter school must assess each pupil enrolled in four-year-old kindergarten to second grade for reading readiness or grade-level reading achievement.

This bill extends this requirement to private schools participating in a parental choice program. The requirement applies only to those pupils attending the private school under the program. The bill also authorizes the state superintendent of public instruction to issue an order barring a private school from participating in a parental choice program for the current school year if it violates the requirement described above.

Criteria for awarding a high school diploma to participating pupils Current law requires the governing body of each private school participating in a parental choice program to develop a policy specifying criteria for granting a high school diploma to pupils attending the school under the program. The criteria must include the pupil's academic performance and the recommendations of teachers. The private school may not grant a high school diploma to any pupil attending the school under the program unless the pupil satisfies the criteria specified in the policy.

Beginning in the 2016-17 school year, this bill requires a private school participating in a parental choice program to include in its policy the requirements for granting a high school diploma applicable to public school pupils. These requirements include earning a specified minimum number of credits in certain subjects and, in grades 9 to 12, being enrolled in a class or participating in an activity approved by the school board during each class period of each school day.

The bill also authorizes the state superintendent of public instruction to issue an order barring a private school from participating in a parental choice program for the current school year if the private school fails to include these new requirements in its high school graduation policy.

Corporal punishment of pupils enrolled in a participating private school Under current law, no official, employee, or agent of a school district (school employee) may subject a pupil enrolled in the school district to corporal punishment.

Current law defines corporal punishment to mean "the intentional infliction of physical pain which is used as a means of discipline." Current law permits a school employee to use reasonable and necessary force under certain circumstances, including to obtain possession of a weapon from a pupil, protect the safety of others, or quell a disturbance. Each school board must establish a policy to outline the circumstances in which a school employee may use reasonable and necessary force.

This bill extends these provisions regarding corporal punishment to private schools participating in a parental choice program, and permits the state superintendent to issue an order barring the private school from participating in a parental choice program for the current school year if the private school fails to comply with these provisions.

Expulsion of pupils from participating private schools Under current law, a pupil may be expelled from a public school for repeatedly violating school rules; making a bomb threat; or endangering or threatening to endanger the property, health, or safety of others. A pupil who has a firearm at school must be expelled for at least one year. Before expelling a pupil, the school board must provide a hearing at which the pupil or his or her parent may be represented by an attorney. After the hearing, the school board must issue a written decision, which may be appealed to the state superintendent of public instruction.

This bill directs the department to promulgate rules establishing a procedure for the expulsion of pupils attending a private school under a parental choice program by the governing body of the private school. The rules must adhere as closely as feasible to the statutory provisions governing the expulsion of pupils from public schools.

The bill also authorizes the state superintendent to issue an order barring a private school from participating in a parental choice program for the current school year if the private school violates the rules described above.

Regular building inspection of certain participating private schools Under current law, before a private school may participate in a parental choice program, the private school must submit to the department a copy of the certificate of occupancy (certificate) issued for the private school building by the municipality within which the private school is located. If the municipality does not issue certificates, the private school may submit either a certificate issued by a local or regional governmental unit with authority to issue such a certificate or a letter or form from the municipality that explains that the municipality does not issue certificates.

This bill requires a private school located in a municipality that does not issue certificates to annually obtain a building inspection of the school building.

Miscellaneous other provisions Under current law, the department may only release data related to enrollment of, standardized test results for, and other information related to pupils participating in a parental choice program all at the same time, uniformly, and completely. This bill eliminates this requirement.

This bill requires a private school participating in a parental choice program to permit public inspection and copying of any record of the private school that relates to pupils attending the private school under the program to the same extent as required of, and subject to the same terms and enforcement provisions that apply to, a school board. The bill authorizes the department to issue an order barring the private school from participating in the parental choice program for the current school year if the private school violates this requirement.

This bill requires that a private school be located in this state in order to participate in a parental choice program.

This bill provides that a private school may participate in a parental choice program only if it has been in operation for the attendance of pupils for at least two school years. The bill also provides that no more than 49 percent of a private school's enrollment may consist of pupils attending the private school under a parental choice program.

Currently, a private school participating in a parental choice program must schedule two meetings each year at which members of the school's governing board will be present and at which pupils and prospective pupils and their parents may meet and communicate with the members of the governing board.

This bill requires a private school participating in a parental choice program to hold at least one such meeting each month. The bill requires that the meetings be open to the public and that the private school provide public notice of the meetings in the same manner as notice of meetings of governmental bodies is required to be provided. Finally, the bill authorizes the department to issue an order barring the private school from participating in the parental choice program for the current school year if the private school violates these requirements.