Addresses Problems for Schools

Gov. Tony Evers signed 2020 Act 185 Wednesday (4/15) just after it passed in a special session of the Legislature, delivering much-needed relief from problems created by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The DPI is uncertain whether the provisions of the bill allow Choice schools additional flexibility in accounting for federal Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) funds in a way that doesn’t disrupt a school’s reserve balance.

This issue will be clarified in the coming days as the law gets interpreted and the PPP makes payouts to Choice schools. WCRIS is monitoring the situation and working with the DPI and School Choice Wisconsin (SCW) to help mediate negative impacts.

The wide-ranging act provided relief to a multitude of state agencies and programs struggling with unique problems created by the coronavirus disaster.

In other areas of concern to private K-12 schools, the new law creates a “level playing field between all education sectors” regarding requirements for state testing, hours of instruction and the statewide report card, according to a summary by SCW.

The new law gives the DPI the authority to waive and modify deadlines and requirements until October 31, 2020, for all the Parental Choice Programs during the Governor’s first Safer At Home Executive Order (#72). This extended timeline is needed as three Choice program audits are finalized every Fall, noted SCW.

This new authority allows the department to waive requirements and deadlines during this time, but not arbitrarily add new requirements. The DPI is prohibited from using its existing statutory authority to withhold funds and/or bar a school from the Choice program for items that arise from the mandatory school closures, SCW reported.

This provision is critically important because in the near future there will be coronavirus-triggered issues that arise, which nobody can anticipate or foresee at this time.

The new law makes the following changes, which are effective today (April 16):

  • Allows an hours of instruction waiver for 2019-2020. DPI will
    provide a form.
  • Moves the WPCP application deadline to May 14, 2020.
  • Suspends the requirement to maintain a cash balance for Choice reserves as of June 30, 2020.
  • Extends the surety bond deadline for Choice continuing schools
    from May 1 to June 1.
  • Extends the deadline for a summer school course list from May 1 to June 1, or five days before the first-day classes are offered.
  • Extends the SNSP certificate of occupancy deadline
    from May 1 to June 1.
  • Eliminates the hours of instruction report for the 2019-20 school year.
  • Eliminates the Civics exam graduation requirement for 2019-20.
  • Eliminates the required two meetings of a Choice school’s governing board for the 2019-20 school year.
  • Waives the outreach hours requirement for those schools who were offering K-4 parent outreach in 2019-20.