Eliminating income limits for parental choice programs; eliminating pupil participation limits for the statewide parental choice program; private school tuition charged to a pupil participating in a parental choice program; and creating an education expense reimbursement program for the 2022-23 school year and the summer of 2023. (FE)

Beginning in the 2022-23 school year, the bill eliminates the family income requirements in each of the parental choice programs. In other words, under the bill, a pupil may participate in a parental choice program regardless of the pupil's family income.

Pupil participation limits in the WPCP Current law limits the number of pupils who reside in a school district that may attend a private school under the WPCP. For the 2021-22 school year, the limit is set at no more than 6 percent of a school district's membership in the previous school year. The limit increases by one percent each year until the limit reaches 10 percent, and then, beginning in the 2026-27 school year, there is no participation limit in the WPCP. The bill eliminates the pupil participation limits in the WPCP on the date the bill becomes law.

Current law provides specific WPCP application procedures that apply while the pupil participation limits are in place. For example, while the limits are in place, pupil applications may be submitted to private schools participating in the WPCP only during the period beginning on the first weekday in February and ending on the third Thursday in April. The bill eliminates the application procedures that apply while the pupil participation limits are in place.

Additional tuition charged to pupils participating in parental choice programs Under current law, a private school participating in a parental choice program may not charge a pupil participating in a parental choice program tuition, in addition to the payments the private school receives under the parental choice program, unless the pupil is enrolled in a grade from 9 to 12 and the pupil's family income exceeds 220 percent of the federal poverty level. Beginning in the 2022-23 school year, the bill increases that threshold to 300 percent of the federal poverty level.

Education expense reimbursement program Under the bill, in the 2022-23 school year and in the summer semester or session in 2023, a pupil enrolled in a public school, including a charter school, may attend a course or purchase educational materials, and DPI must reimburse up to $1,000 of the cost of attendance or purchase price for up to two courses or purchases of educational materials.

A pupil that wants to attend a course for reimbursement under the bill must apply to the educational institution or provider that offers the course. Public schools, other than charter schools, institutions within the University of Wisconsin System, technical colleges, tribally controlled colleges, and private, nonprofit institutions of higher education located in this state are required to participate in the education expense reimbursement program created in the bill. Charter schools, private schools, tribal schools, and other educational providers DPI approves may choose whether to participate. If an educational institution or provider participates in the program (approved educational provider), the approved educational provider must accept a pupil's application to attend a course if space is available in the course unless certain conditions apply, and, if the approved educational provider receives more applications than available spaces, the approved educational provider must accept pupils on a random basis.

The parent of a pupil who wants to purchase educational materials for reimbursement under the bill must, prior to purchasing the materials, submit a notice to DPI describing the materials, listing what is included in the materials, and specifying the materials' cost. DPI generally must approve such a request.

Under the bill, DPI must pay reimbursements in the 2023-24 school year. The bill does not appropriate moneys in the current biennium to pay reimbursements under the program. The bill provides that, if the amount available to DPI is insufficient to pay the full reimbursement amounts, DPI must prorate the payments among those eligible for reimbursement.