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115.45

115.45 Grants for preschool to grade 5 programs.

115.45(2)

(2)

115.45(2)(a)

(a) Annually by September 15, the school board, on its own initiative or upon receipt of an application from the principal of an elementary school located in the school district, may apply to the state superintendent for a grant under this section. The application shall include a plan specifying how the school board intends to meet the requirements under sub. (4), explaining the school board's selection process for individual schools and private service providers and identifying the schools in the school district, or the private service providers certified by the school board as providing the services under sub. (4) (b), to which the grant funds will be applied.

115.45(2)(b)

(b) The council for Milwaukee public schools grant programs under s. 115.28 (20) shall review the applications submitted under par. (a) and make recommendations to the state superintendent regarding the schools to be selected and amounts of the grants to be awarded. The council's recommendations shall be based upon and include information regarding the degree to which the proposed projects will effectively meet the requirements under sub. (4).

115.45(3)

(3) The state superintendent shall determine the amount of the grant, if any, to be awarded a school board submitting an application under sub. (2) (a). Amounts awarded shall be paid from the appropriation under s. 20.255 (2) (do). Amounts awarded shall be used by the school board to supplement existing elementary school programs and not to supplant or replace funds otherwise available for such programs.

115.45(3m)

(3m)

115.45(3m)(a)

(a) In this subsection:

115.45(3m)(a)1.

1. "Dropout" has the meaning given in s. 118.153 (1) (b).

115.45(3m)(a)2.

2. "Low-income pupil" means a pupil for whom aid to families with dependent children is being received under s. 49.19 or a pupil who is a member of a Wisconsin works group, as defined in s. 49.141 (1) (s), with a member who is participating in Wisconsin works under s. 49.147 (3) to (5).

115.45(3m)(b)

(b) The state superintendent shall give priority in awarding grants under this section to all of the following programs:

115.45(3m)(b)1.

1. Programs in existence on August 9, 1989, that have proven successful.

115.45(3m)(b)2.

2. Programs established in school districts with a high number of dropouts and low-income pupils.

115.45(3m)(b)3.

3. Programs in existence on July 1, 1991.

115.45(4)

(4) The school board receiving an award under this section shall ensure that the schools or private service providers identified under sub. (2) (a) comply with all of the following requirements:

115.45(4)(a)

(a) Each identified school or private service provider shall provide structured educational experiences for 4-year-old pupils. The structured educational experiences shall focus on the needs of low-income pupils and shall include activities that encourage early skill development.

115.45(4)(b)

(b) Each identified school or private service provider shall annually test the pupils enrolled in grades 1 to 5 in reading, language arts and mathematics using tests approved by the department.

115.45(4)(c)

(c) Each identified school or private service provider shall implement a multidisciplinary team approach to the identification and remediation of problems of pupils with significant needs.

115.45(4)(d)

(d) Each identified school or private service provider shall restrict class size in all grades below the 6th grade to no more than 25 pupils for each teacher.

115.45(4)(e)

(e) The principal of each identified school and the administrator of each identified private service provider shall annually prepare a written performance evaluation of each staff member providing services under this subsection.

115.45(4)(f)

(f) All administrative and instructional staff in the elementary grades of each identified school or private service provider shall participate in in-service training that focuses on educational practices and policies identified by the department as effective in improving pupil achievement.

115.45(4)(g)

(g) Each identified school shall:

115.45(4)(g)1.

1. Establish a council composed of teachers, parents of pupils enrolled in the school district, school board members and community leaders to monitor and make recommendations to the school board concerning the school's educational programs.

115.45(4)(g)2.

2. Develop plans to encourage and increase parental involvement in efforts to improve the quality of education.

115.45(4)(h)

(h) Annually, each identified school or private service provider shall report to the state superintendent all of the following:

115.45(4)(h)1.

1. The results of the tests under par. (b).

115.45(4)(h)2.

2. The number and content of in-service training activities under par. (f).

115.45(4)(h)3.

3. The number and content of parental involvement activities and the number of parents attending each activity.

115.45(5)

(5) Beginning in the 1987-88 school year, amounts awarded under this section should be awarded on the basis of improvements in academic performance.

115.45(6)

(6) The state superintendent shall:

115.45(6)(a)

(a) Establish criteria for measuring and evaluating improvements in academic performance for the purpose of sub. (5).

115.45(6)(b)

(b) By March 1, 1986, and annually thereafter, submit to the joint committee on finance and the chief clerk of each house of the legislature, for distribution to the appropriate standing committees under s. 13.172 (3), a budget report detailing the grants he or she intends to award under this section in the next fiscal year. The report shall provide summary data on the results of the annual testing required under sub. (4) (b) and include a description of the guidelines used to determine the individual schools and private service providers that will receive funds under this section and the types of expenditures eligible for such funds.

115.45(6)(c)

(c) Annually submit to the legislature under s. 13.172 (2) a report on the academic progress made by pupils enrolled in preschool to grade 5 programs under this section.

115.45(7)

(7) The joint committee on finance may review the budget report.

115.45(9)

(9)

115.45(9)(a)

(a) If a pupil attending a school receiving a grant under this section moves from the attendance area for that school to another attendance area after the 3rd Friday in September during any school term, the school board may offer the pupil the opportunity to continue to attend school for the remainder of the school term at the school he or she was originally attending.

115.45(9)(b)

(b) The state superintendent may authorize a school district to use up to 8% of a grant to pay the costs of transporting pupils under par. (a).

115.45(9)(c)

(c) The school districts receiving funds under par. (b) shall give first priority under par. (a) to first grade students.

115.45(10)

(10) Grants under this section shall be awarded for a 3-year period. The state superintendent and the grant recipient shall jointly establish performance objectives for each proposed project and criteria for evaluating whether the project meets the objectives. At the end of the 3-year period, the state superintendent shall determine whether the project met its objectives. A grant may not be renewed unless the state superintendent determines that the project met its objectives.

115.45 - ANNOT.

History: 1985 a. 29, 120, 224; 1987 a. 27 s. 1762m; Stats. 1987 s. 115.45; 1987 a. 186; 1989 a. 31; 1991 a. 39, 157, 269; 1995 a. 27 ss. 3886, 3887, 9145 (1); 1995 a. 289; 1997 a. 27.

115.45 - ANNOT.

Cross Reference: See also ch. PI 29, Wis. adm. code.