Senate Bill 61 proposes amendments to the calculation of shared costs for school districts in Wisconsin, specifically regarding expenditures funded by referenda. The bill aims to exclude certain expenditures from a school district's shared cost when determining equalization aid. Expenditures authorized by an operating referendum or a capital referendum, both exceeding $50,000,000 and held after the bill's enactment, will not be included in the shared cost calculation. However, this exclusion does not apply to school districts classified as negative tertiary school districts, which are defined as those with an equalized valuation exceeding the tertiary guaranteed valuation per member.

The bill includes specific amendments to existing statutes, such as the introduction of new language in section 121.07 (6) (ap) to clarify that debt service on debt authorized by a referendum held after the effective date of the bill will also be excluded from shared costs, provided the school district does not fall under the negative tertiary classification. Additionally, the bill modifies existing language in sections 121.07 (6) (a) and (am) to reflect these changes and ensure that the shared cost calculation aligns with the new exclusions. Overall, the bill seeks to provide financial relief to certain school districts by adjusting how their shared costs are calculated for state aid purposes.

Statutes affected:
Bill Text: 121.07(6)(a)(intro.), 121.07, 121.07(6)(am)