Senate Bill 781 proposes amendments to the calculation of shared costs for school districts in Wisconsin, specifically regarding expenditures funded by referenda. The bill stipulates that expenditures from a school district's general fund or debt service fund that are authorized by an operating or capital referendum held after the bill's enactment will be excluded from the shared costs used to determine general equalization aids. This change aims to potentially increase state aid for negative tertiary school districts, which are those with equalized valuations exceeding the tertiary guaranteed valuation per member.

The bill includes several specific amendments and new provisions. It renumbers and amends existing statutes to clarify that shared costs will exclude certain expenditures, including those related to referenda, and outlines a new calculation method for determining the impact of these exclusions on state aid. Additionally, it creates new subsections that detail how to assess the amount levied by school districts for school purposes and how to adjust this amount based on the maximum levy allowed. Overall, the bill seeks to refine the financial framework governing school funding in Wisconsin, particularly in relation to voter-approved funding initiatives.

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