From:	DPI Open Enrollment
Sent:	Thursday, August 1, 2019 10:18 AM
To:	Demrow, Jennifer   DPI
Subject:	Instructions on How to Enter a Pupil's SPED Actual Cost Information into OPAL

To – District Administrators and Open Enrollment Coordinators

From – Jen Demrow, Open Enrollment Consultant

Subject – Instructions on How to Enter a Pupil’s SPED Actual Cost Information into OPAL

Starting in the 2019-20 school year, for pupils who are open enrolled for the second or 
subsequent year, the open enrollment payment for a student receiving special education 
services is either the open enrollment (OE) basic aid amount for pupils with disabilities (the per 
pupil amount under the indexing method) or the OE Special Education Actual Cost amount 
(actual costs to the nonresident district of providing a free appropriate public education (FAPE) 
to the pupil in the previous school year, up to $30,000). [Wis. Stat. § 118.51(12)(a)].

If a nonresident district chooses to use the Special Education (SPED) Actual Cost amount, they 
are required to submit a financial statement (the Open Enrollment Financial Statement for 
Special Education Costs) in OPAL. The financial statement must be completed in order for the 
nonresident district to receive the OE SPED Actual Cost aid amount.

Below are instructions on how to enter a pupil’s SPED Actual Cost information into OPAL in 
order to create a financial statement:

 
As a reminder, below is the timeline for nonresident districts to enter, edit, or withdraw a 
pupil’s financial statement: 

*	August 1, 2019		SPED Actual Cost Financial Statement available in OPAL
*	September 30, 2019	Deadline for Nonresident Districts to Enter, Edit, or 
Withdraw a SPED Actual Cost Financial Statement
*	October 14, 2019		Deadline for Nonresident Districts to Withdraw a SPED 
Actual Cost Financial Statement

If you have any questions, please contact us at 888-245-2732, option 2 or 
openenrollment@dpi.wi.gov. 

Jen Demrow
School Administration Consultant
Public School Open Enrollment
Department of Public Instruction
608-264-6707 or 888-245-2732, option 2, then 3
Jennifer.Demrow@dpi.wi.gov