Program Description
High Cost Pupil Transportation Aid is a categorical aid provided by the state of Wisconsin (Wis Stat. §. 121.59). This aid program provides additional funding to school districts in Wisconsin that have higher per pupil transportation costs when compared to the statewide average per pupil transportation cost. Click the appropriate links below for more information.
Eligibility
Wis. Stat. § 121.59 (1) (a) "eligible school district" means a school district the membership of which in the previous school year, when divided by the school district’s area in square miles, is 50 or less. The number of square miles per school district used in this calculation is the same as is used to calculate Sparsity Aid. Each eligible school district with a per pupil transportation cost exceeding 140 percent of the statewide average per pupil transportation cost will receive a share of this categorical aid.
The "stop-gap" measure will provide any district that qualified for high cost transportation aid in the immediately preceding school year, but is ineligible to receive aid in the current year, with an aid payment equal to 50 percent of its prior year award in the year in which it became ineligible. It is the responsibility of the School Financial Services (SFS) team to prorate these payments if necessary. The appropriation is dispersed in June of each year and the aid payment is based on audited information from the previous fiscal year.
The Department of Public Instruction (DPI) will not receive complete audited data until later in the school year and due to the range of cost data from the participating school districts and Independent Charter schools, we are not able to provide any estimated payments. The High Cost Transportation Aid payment is calculated with new data each year, thus making budgeting difficult.
Determination of School District Payments
Two pieces of information from the prior school year will be used to determine the school district payments:
- audited transportation cost (Fund 10 only) that's available in April; and
- audited membership for the previous school year.
"Membership" is defined as the average of the resident FTE students enrolled on the third Friday of September and second Friday of January (including part-time attendance by home-based or private school students), plus summer school and foster group home FTE. (source: https://dpi.wi.gov/sfs/statistical/longitudinal-data/membership)
Aid Calculation Process
Phase I - Determine if the school district qualifies to receive an aid payment
- P I-1 Total the previous school year's Audited Transportation Cost (Fund 10) for each school district.
- P I-2 Total the previous school year's audited membership for each school district.
- P 1-3 Verify the “eligible school districts” by dividing the previous school year's audited membership for each school district by the school district's area in square miles. To be an eligible school district, the quotient(answer) must be 50 or less members per square mile.The number of square miles per school district used in this calculation is the same as used to calculate Sparsity Aid.
- P 1-4 Determine the statewide transportation cost per member by dividing the step P I-1 total by the step P I-2 total. Then, multiply the quotient by 1.40 to determine the threshold to receive High Cost Transportation Aid.
- P 1-5 Determine the district’s transportation cost per member by dividing the Audited Transportation Cost (Fund 10) by the Audited Membership.
- P 1-6 Subtract the district’s transportation cost per member (step P I-5) from 140 percent of statewide transportation cost per member (step #4). If the remainder calculated is a positive value, the school district is eligible to receive a portion of the allocated funds.
Phase II - Determine the qualifying school district’s High Cost Transportation aid amount
- P II-1 Multiply the eligible district’s previous year membership by the positive remainder calculated in step P I-6 of phase 1.
- P II-2 Total the values produced in step P II-1 for all of the qualifying school districts.
- P II-3 (New in FY 2018 - Stop Gap - Aid) Compare the list of qualifying school district in the current year with the school districts who qualified in the immediately preceding school year.
- P II-3a If a school district qualified in the immediately preceding school year and not in the current school year, set them apart with the payment amount in the immediately preceding school year.
- P II-3b Multiply that amount by 0.5.
- P II-3c Determine the total of all school districts who qualified under this provision.
- P II-4 Divide the total in step P II-2 by the appropriation to determine the percentage share (product) that will be paid to each LEA.
- P II-5 For each eligible school district, multiply the step P II-4 product times the school district's value under "FY—District’s Tran. Cost over State Avg. Cost" calculated in step P I-6 to determine the district's High Cost Transportation Aid payment.
Aid Eligibility by School Year
- 2023-24 High Cost Transportation Aid Amounts (June 17, 2024)
- 2022-23 High Cost Transportation Aid Amounts (June 20, 2023)
- 2021-22 High Cost Transportation Aid Amounts (June 14, 2022)
- 2020-21 High Cost Transportation Aid Amounts (May 28, 2021)
- 2019-20 High Cost Transportation Aid Amount (May 29, 2020)
- 2018-19 High Cost Transportation Aid Amount (May 24, 2019)
- 2017-18 High Cost Transportation Aid Amounts (June 5, 2018) - This is the first year where "FY 2016 Stop Gap" is posted on a separate tab on the spreadsheet.
- 2016-17 High Cost Transportation Aid Amounts (May 23, 2017)
- 2015-16 High Cost Transportation Aid Amounts (May 2, 2016)
- 2014-15 High Cost Transportation Aid Amounts (May 1, 2015)
- 2013-14 High Cost Transportation Aid Amounts
Please note that a district needs to use caution before assuming what the potential High Cost Transportation Aid amount will be in a future school year, due to the large amount of data that impacts the actual dispersed amounts (Wis. Stat. §. 121.59(1)).