Assembly Bill 81 proposes amendments to the calculation of shared costs for school districts in Wisconsin, specifically regarding expenditures funded by referenda. The bill seeks to exclude expenditures from a school district's general fund or debt service fund that are authorized by either an operating referendum or a capital referendum, provided these referenda exceed $50,000,000 and are held after the bill's enactment. 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 also amends existing legal language to clarify that shared costs will now exclude certain expenditures, including those related to lawsuits against the state, capital improvement trust funds, and specific debt service costs. Additionally, it creates a new provision that explicitly states debt service on debt authorized by a referendum to borrow at least $50,000,000 will also be excluded from shared costs, again with the same exception for negative tertiary school districts. These changes aim to adjust the calculation of equalization aid for school districts, potentially impacting their funding and financial management.

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