Choice Program Payments - Frequently Asked Questions

2. What are Choice payments based upon?

Payments are made based on membership (count) reports and enrollment audits. The three membership reports are the Preliminary Enrollment Report (due by the last weekday in August), the Third Friday in September Count Report (due by the last weekday in September), and the Second Friday in January Count Report (due by the last weekday in January). Schools that provide Choice summer school must also submit a Summer School Count Report (due by September 15).

The initial payments to schools are made based on unaudited information. Schools are then required to have an external auditor complete an Enrollment Audit to determine if the school received the correct amount. After reviewing the Enrollment Audits, the DPI issues certification letters to the schools indicating the results of the review and if any amount is owed to or from the school.

If the DPI owes the school money, the DPI will pay the amount owed via electronic funds transfer within 60 days of the date of the certification letter. If the certification letter requires that the school repay the DPI, the DPI will generally net the amount owed with a future Choice payment if the school is currently eligible for Choice payments.

3.  When are Choice school year payments made and how are they calculated?

For information about Choice summer school payments, please see FAQ #4.

Payments are made via electronic funds transfers quarterly to eligible schools by the end of the following months: September, November, February, and May.

The payments for September and November are ultimately based on the number of pupils that met the attendance requirements as of the Third Friday in September multiplied by 25% of the annual FTE. The February and May payments are based on the number of pupils that met the attendance requirements for the Second Friday in January multiplied by 25% of the annual FTE.

The November state aid payment is a “true-up” payment calculated based on the number of students on the Third Friday September Count Report multiplied by 50% of the annual FTE amount less the payment received in September.

If there are students counted on the Preliminary Enrollment Report that do not meet the Third Friday September Count Report requirements, the amount of the September payment for those students will be deducted from the November payment. If there are students that were not included on the Preliminary Enrollment Report that meet the Third Friday September Count Report requirements, the school will receive a double payment (50% of the annual FTE amount) for the student in November.

The initial payments to schools are made based on unaudited information. Schools are then required to have an external auditor complete an Enrollment Audit to determine if the school received the correct amount. After reviewing the Enrollment Audits, the DPI issues certification letters to the schools indicating the results of the review and if any amount is owed to or from the school.

If the DPI owes the school money, the DPI will pay the amount owed via electronic funds transfer within 60 days of the date of the certification letter. If the certification letter requires that the school repay the DPI, the DPI will generally net the amount owed with a future Choice payment if the school is currently eligible for Choice payments.

For additional information, please see the "Timing of Choice Payments" section of the Application Process bulletin, which is available on the Private School Choice Programs: DPI Bulletins webpage.

4.  What are summer school payments based upon and when are they made?

Choice schools seeking a Choice state aid payment for eligible summer school instruction must submit the Summer School Count Report in OAS providing the list of Choice students who attended summer school at the school. Schools that participate in multiple Choice programs (MPCP, RPCP, and/or WPCP), must submit a Summer School Count Report for each Choice program in OAS even if the school did not have students from a particular program participating in summer school.

Summer school courses funded through Federal Title programs are not eligible for payment through the Choice summer school program.

The DPI will process the summer school payments for eligible schools that offered Choice summer school based on the Summer School Count Report (due by September 15) submitted to the DPI in OAS by the end of November.

The per aid student state aid amount for each eligible student that attends the Choice summer school program 15 or more days is 5% of the maximum per student state aid amount from the prior year for the grade in which the pupil is attending summer school. The per aid student state aid amount for each eligible student that attends the Choice summer school program less than 15 days is prorated based on the number of days the student attends the Choice summer school program.

The Summer School Bulletin, available on the Program Bulletins webpage, provides additional information.

5.  How does the school see payment amounts received?

The Online Application System (OAS) includes a listing of all students that received a payment during the school year and/or for the summer. To view the school year listing, a Choice administrator or designee must log into the OAS and select "Payments" under "Pupil Count" on the left menu bar. From the “Payments” page in OAS, Choice administrators and designees can also export the data to Excel to view the headcount and FTE by student for each count date.

To view the summer school listing, a Choice administrator or designee must log into the OAS and select "Summer Sch Count" under "Other Reports" on the left menu bar. The payments are on “Step 6 of 7: Review Class List” page of the report.

School can use the Aids Register to see a history of payment information. Access this by clicking on “Aids Register” located on the Private School Choice Programs webpage on the left menu bar. Enter 20YY for fiscal year for payments for the 20XX-YY school year (XX and YY represent the school year numbers for which the school would like to see payments). Enter the school’s legal entity name, click on the agency number box, and then the system automatically fills the agency number. 

The school can find more information about using the Aids Register in the STAR Aids Register section of the Aids Register Information webpage.

6.  How can a private school change its banking information?

The school must contact Jacque Darrow (Jacqueline.Darrow@dpi.wi.gov) on the Department of Public Instruction’s School Financial Services team to begin this process.

As a reminder, the same bank account must be used for all payments received from the Department, including Private School Choice Program payments, Special Needs Scholarship Program payments and USDA food program payments.

7.  How can a private school change the email address that the payment advice email notification is being sent to?

The school must email Jacque Darrow (Jacqueline.Darrow@dpi.wi.gov) on the Department of Public Instruction’s School Financial Services team to make a request to change the email address for the school’s payment advice notification. The school should include the following information in the email request: school’s name, school’s Aids Register Agency ID, the person’s name and email address that is currently receiving the payment advice notification, and the new person’s name and email address that the school is requesting receive the payment advice notification. Please note that the payment notification may only be sent to one email address.

Tip: Schools may access their Aids Register Agency ID in the Aids Register. Access this by clicking on “Aids Register” located on the Private School Choice Programs webpage on the left menu bar. Enter the school's legal entity name in the Aids Register Agency Name box, click in the Agency ID box, and the agency ID is automatically displayed. Schools may verify their ID by entering it in the Agency ID box, clicking on the Agency Name box, and the Agency Name will be displayed.

8.  Can the payment advice email notification be re-sent?

The payment advice email notification cannot be re-sent. The email is sent by the Wisconsin Department of Administration (DOA) from the email address WIVendors@wisconsin.gov. If you did not receive the email from WIVendors@wisconsin.gov, please check your spam/junk folders. If you still do not see it, add WIVendors@wisconsin.gov to your safe sender and/or contact list, depending on the email product, to ensure future emails from this address are not blocked or routed to the school’s spam, junk, or promotions email folders. Schools may see the “How does the school see payment amounts received?” for information on how to see the school’s payments.

9.  Where can I find additional information about payments?

Additional information is available at On Demand Training in Training 9-1: Payment Process, Pupil Count Report & Audit Overview and Training 9-3: 3rd Friday in September & 2nd Friday in January Count Reports. The “Timing of Choice Payments” section of the Application Process Bulletin, which is available at School Application Processing, is another resource for schools.