Senate Bill 1109 mandates that starting in the 2026-27 school year, school boards in Wisconsin must pay student teachers an hourly wage of at least $15 for their participation in the student teaching component of teacher preparatory programs. The bill also establishes a reimbursement mechanism through the Department of Public Instruction (DPI), which will provide financial aid to school boards based on the total hours student teachers worked in the previous school term. This reimbursement will be calculated at a rate of $15 per hour for each student teacher.

Additionally, the bill creates new statutory provisions, specifically sections 20.255 (2) (e) and 118.237, to facilitate the implementation of these changes. Section 20.255 (2) (e) establishes a funding source for student teacher compensation grants, while section 118.237 outlines the definitions and requirements for student teacher compensation, including the rule-making authority for the DPI to administer these provisions. The bill also amends section 119.04 (1) to include the new section 118.237 among the applicable statutes for first-class city school districts.