Friday, May 29, 2020
Aid eligibility information for a variety of 2019-20 categorical aids to be paid in June is now available on the DPI website:
Special Education and School-Age Parents Aid
The sixth and final payment of Special Education and School-Age Parents Aid (27 R 611) will be made on June 8, 2020. This payment reflects each LEA’s full aid eligibility at the end of the year. The final proration (reimbursement) rate for 2019-20 aid on 2018-19 eligible costs is 25.02 percent. Details are available on the SPED/SAP Aid Payment Worksheets page.
Questions: Roselynn Bittorf (608) 267-9212
High Cost Special Education Aid
DPI has approved 163 claims for High Cost Special Education Aid (27 R 625) from districts and other LEAs that served 1,394 Wisconsin public school students with extraordinary special education needs in the 2018-19 school year. LEAs are eligible for reimbursement of 90 percent of individual students’ costs above $30,000 not covered by Medicaid or other state and federal special education funding. With $9,353,800 in state categorical aid available to support $26,171,134 of eligible costs, we are able to reimburse those costs at a rate of 35.74 percent. Updated 2019-20 payment worksheets are available on the High Cost Special Education Aid page. Aid will be paid on June 15, 2020.
Questions: Roselynn Bittorf (608) 267-9212
Supplemental Special Education Aid
The Supplemental Special Education Aid program (27 R 626) provides additional funding to small school districts with higher special education costs and less ability to raise revenues. 12 districts qualified in 2019-20 for a total of $1.75 million. The 2019-20 school year is the last year aid will be paid under this program; it has been discontinued for future years with its funding transferred to other state special education aids. Aid eligibility information is posted on the Supplemental Special Education Aid page. Payments will be made on June 15, 2020.
Questions: Roselynn Bittorf (608) 267-9212
High Cost Pupil Transportation Aid
High Cost Pupil Transportation Aid (10 R 696) provides additional funding to districts with higher than average per-member transportation costs. $13.3 million is available for the 136 districts whose per-member Fund 10 transportation costs were more than 145 percent of the statewide average in 2018-19. An additional $200,000 is available as “stop-gap” funding for the 22 districts that qualified for aid last year but not this year.
The 2019-20 eligibility worksheet is available on the High Cost Pupil Transportation Aid page under “Aid Eligibility by School Year.” Funds will be paid on June 15, 2020.
Questions: Bruce Anderson (608) 267-9707
Pupil Transportation Aid Residual Balance
By law, any Pupil Transportation Aid (10 R 612) funds left over from the per-student formula allocation are paid out at the end of the year. For 2019-20, 414 school districts and 7 independent charter schools will share the $1,149,955 remaining after the January 27, 2020 payment and resolution of any audit findings. Residual payments are proportional to January payments less audit reconciliations. The final calculation worksheet is available on the Pupil Transportation Aid page.
Questions: Bruce Anderson (608) 267-9707