SB 782

This bill requires the Department of Public Instruction to create a community

school start-up grant program under which DPI awards competitive grants to school

boards to plan and implement community schools. The bill defines a “community

school” as a public school that focuses on improving pupil learning, strengthening

families, developing healthier communities, working with community partners to

provide additional services to the surrounding community, and providing

wraparound support services to pupils and their families. “Community school” does

not include independent charter schools or charter schools that are not an

instrumentality of a school district.

The bill requires that, under the community school start-up grant program,

DPI must allocate portions of the program funding to establishing community

schools in rural school districts, to establishing community schools in high-poverty

school districts, and to transforming low-performing schools into community

schools. The bill also requires an applicant for a community school start-up grant

to demonstrate that the applicant has secured matching funds for the grant and to

identify a school resource coordinator who will coordinate school programming. An

applicant for a community school start-up grant must also describe the types of

programming the school will provide to improve pupil learning, strengthen families,

and develop a healthier community. A community school start-up grant is for a

five-year term and may be renewed for additional five-year periods.

The bill also requires a recipient of a community school start-up grant to

provide an annual report to DPI.

The bill also provides additional funding for the University of Wisconsin

System under its general program operations for purposes of maintaining

compliance with maintenance of effort requirements of the federal Consolidated

Appropriations Act and the federal American Rescue Plan Act.