AB 818

Under current law, the director of the Office of Educational Opportunity in the University of Wisconsin System may authorize a charter school. A charter school authorized by the OEO director is often referred to as an independent charter school. Under current law, the Department of Public Instruction pays the operator of an independent charter school an annual per pupil amount set by law. The per pupil amount for the 2025-26 school year is $12,369. This bill authorizes the OEO director to designate an operator of a charter school authorized by the director as a demonstration public school operator and requires DPI to pay an additional $6,863 per pupil to an operator of a charter school that receives this designation.

Under the bill, to be designated as an demonstration public school operator, an independent charter school operator must demonstrate to the OEO director that it meets specific criteria, including that for each of its charter schools authorized by the OEO, the operator participates in a longitudinal study; provides professional development opportunities; disseminates best practices from its educational model to other schools; and establishes and maintains partnerships with community organizations. Under the bill, the OEO director must respond to a request for such a designation from an independent charter school operator within 30 days and must include in the response the OEO director’s decision on whether to make the designation and if the director will not make the designation, the reason for not doing so. If the OEO director designates an independent charter school operator as a demonstration public school operator, the OEO director must state the term of the designation, which may not be more than five school years and must begin on a July 1. The designation may be renewed for additional terms. Lastly, for a designated public school operator to qualify for the increased per pupil payment amount for pupils attending an independent charter school authorized by the OEO, the operator and the OEO director must incorporate into the contract for the charter school a requirement for the operator to continue to comply with the eligibility criteria for a demonstration public school operator and a requirement for the operator to submit annual reports to DPI, the Joint Committee on Finance, and the senate and assembly education committees. Under the bill, the OEO director must annually provide to DPI the name of each demonstration public school operator and each charter school operated by the demonstration public school operator that qualifies for the increased per pupil payment in the following school year.

Under current law, the per pupil amount paid to an independent charter school is adjusted annually. The annual adjustment is an amount equal to the sum of any per member revenue limit increase that applies to school districts in that school year and any per member increase in categorical aids between the current school year and the previous school year. Under the bill, beginning in the 2026-27 school year, the additional $6,863 per pupil payment for a charter school that is designated as a demonstration public school is adjusted in the same manner as the standard per pupil payment amount.

Finally, the bill specifies that the additional per pupil payment for a demonstration public school is not included for purposes of reductions made to state aid received by school districts for payments to independent charter schools.