SB 597

This bill makes certain additional school districts eligible for sparsity aid.

Under current law, a school district is eligible for sparsity aid in the amount of $300

per pupil if the school district's membership in the previous school year did not

exceed 745 pupils and if the membership divided by the school district's area in

square miles is less than ten. Also under current law, as affected by

2017 Wisconsin

Act 59

, the biennial budget bill, a school district that was eligible to receive sparsity

aid in the previous school year but that is not eligible to receive sparsity aid in the

current school year may receive up to 50 percent of the aid the school district received

in the previous school year.

This bill increases the per pupil payment to $400 beginning in the 2018-19

school year. Also under this bill, a school district with the same density of pupils per

square miles and with a membership in the previous school year of more than 745

students but no more than 1,000 students is eligible for sparsity aid in the amount

of $100 per pupil.

Finally, this bill eliminates, after the 2017-18 school year, the ability of a school

district that is no longer eligible for sparsity aid to receive up to 50 percent of the

sparsity aid the school district received in the previous school year.