Effect of Vouchers on General School Aid Distribution
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | December 14, 2017
Several SAA members have asked recently about the impact that vouchers are having on their district’s general school aid distribution. In response, the SAA discussed the issue with Representative Sondy Pope (D-Mt. Horeb), the ranking Democrat on the Assembly Education Committee. Representative Pope then asked for and received this memo from the Legislative Fiscal Bureau (LFB).
The memo shows what the 2017-18 distribution of general aid would have been if school districts had not been able to include incoming choice pupils in the Racine and statewide choice programs in their pupil membership for the calculation of general school aid. If we had excluded incoming choice pupils in the calculation for the distribution of general aid in 2017-18, 286 districts would have received more general aid, while 70 districts would have received less aid and aid to 66 districts would have remained unchanged. A total of $14.1 million in aid would have been redistributed.
The memo shows the impact of the proposal on each school district. For example, Abbotsford, with 0 incoming choice pupils, would have received $14,244 more in general aid if we had excluded incoming choice pupils in the calculation for the distribution of general aid in 2017-18.
We hope you find this information useful.
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School Funding Commission to Hold First Meeting Tomorrow
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | December 13, 2017
The Blue Ribbon Commission on School Funding will hold its first meeting tomorrow (December 14th) at 10:00am in Room 412 East, State Capitol. The Commission will hear presentations from the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) and the Legislative Fiscal Bureau (LFB). Testimony will be from these invited speakers only.
The work of this Commission is a priority for the SAA. We will keep you informed of the proceedings as well as opportunities for SAA members to testify before the Commission.
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Bill Circulated “Fixing” Concurrent Enrollment Under ECCP
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | December 13, 2017
As you know, the Early College Credit Program (ECCP) adopted in the 2017-19 State Budget significantly altered the funding model for concurrent enrollment programs at UW System campuses. The old system was a shared funding model with K12 school districts absorbing the staffing costs and the UW institutions providing the accreditation and accountability. Parents then received access to college credits at reduced cost.
However, the new ECCP program requires school districts to pick up 75% of the costs, with the state picking up 25%. The new funding burden for school districts will likely end this effective program.
Legislation circulated yesterday by a bipartisan group of legislators would exempt concurrent enrollment programs at UW System schools from the new ECCP requirements. The SAA is supporting this effort, as is the Southeastern Wisconsin Schools Alliance (SWSA), the Wisconsin Rural Schools Alliance (WiRSA) and the Wisconsin Association of School Boards (WASB).
SAA members are encouraged to contact their legislators as soon as possible and ask them to sign on to this bill.
See LRB 4957/1 and Co-Sponsor Memo.
The SAA will keep you informed of this important effort.
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144 School Districts Receive Sparsity Aid
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | December 12, 2017
The Department of Public Instruction (DPI) has announced that small, sparsely populated districts across the state have received $18.5 million in sparsity aid for the 2017-18 school year. The 144 districts that qualified for sparsity aid had membership of 745 or fewer students and density of less than 10 pupils per square mile of the district’s geographic area.
Additional information, including the districts that received aid and the amounts, is available in the DPI news release here.
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Legislative Leaders Announce Blue Ribbon Commission on School Funding
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | December 6, 2017
Speaker Vos and Majority Leader Fitzgerald have announced the creation of the Blue Ribbon Commission on School Funding.
The Commission will be chaired by Representative Joel Kitchens (R-Sturgeon Bay) and Senator Luther Olsen. The Commission will hold its first meeting this month.
For more information, including the members of the Commission, see the press release from Vos and Fitzgerald.
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