Assembly Bill 81 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 from a school district's general fund or debt service fund that are authorized by an operating referendum or a capital referendum, both exceeding $50,000,000 and held after the bill's enactment, will be excluded from shared costs. However, this exclusion does not apply to school districts classified as negative tertiary school districts in the previous school year.

The bill amends existing statutes by modifying the definition of shared costs and creating a new provision that specifically addresses the exclusion of debt service related to referenda. The amendments clarify that shared costs will not include costs associated with lawsuits against the state, capital improvement trust fund expenditures, and certain transportation costs. Additionally, the bill specifies that debt service on debt authorized by a referendum to borrow at least $50,000,000 will also be excluded from shared costs, with the same exception for negative tertiary school districts.

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