SB 640

This bill makes various changes to provisions related to primary and secondary

education created in

2015 Wisconsin Act 55

, the biennial budget act.

Civics exam as a condition for obtaining a high school diploma.

Current law requires that, beginning in the 2016-17 school year, before a school

board, independent charter school, or private school participating in a parental

choice program awards a high school diploma to a pupil, the pupil must receive a

passing score on a civics exam that is identical to the civics exam required to be taken

by persons seeking U.S. citizenship (mandatory civics exam). Current law provides

an exception to this requirement for a pupil who has an IEP in effect. A pupil who

has an IEP in effect must take the mandatory civics exam but is not required to

receive a passing score as a condition of graduation. This bill expands this exception

to apply to a parentally placed private school pupil with a disability.

This bill also requires an IEP team to include in a pupil's IEP a statement about

whether it is appropriate to administer the mandatory civics exam to the pupil. If

a pupil's IEP or services plan includes a statement that it is not appropriate to

administer the mandatory civics exam to the pupil, completion of the mandatory

civics exam may not be required as a condition of graduation for that pupil.

Financial information about private schools participating in a parental

choice program.

This bill changes requirements created in

2015 Wisconsin Act 55

relating to

independent financial audits of private schools participating in the Milwaukee

Parental Choice Program, the Racine Parental Choice Program, or the statewide

parental choice program (a parental choice program).

Under current law, each private school participating in a parental choice

program must submit an annual independent financial audit to the department.

This bill clarifies that, for purposes of the annual independent financial audit, in

order for a cost to be an eligible education expense an independent auditor must test

the cost and confirm that the cost is reasonable for the private school to achieve its

educational purposes, as determined by the private school in a written policy. The

bill also replaces the audit certification process created in

2015 Wisconsin Act 55

with a process and deadline for notifying a participating private school of whether

or not it has satisfied the audit requirements.

Under the bill, a private school participating in a parental choice program must

maintain a cash and investment balance that is at least equal to the private school's

reserve balance. In the event a private school ceases to participate in any parental