The Bureau of Education Options oversees and supports a range of educational choices available to families across the state. The Bureau provides technical assistance to school districts, schools, families, and the public related to the education options below.
Key responsibilities include:
- Private School Choice Programs and Special Needs Scholarship Program: Administers Wisconsin’s Private School Choice Programs, including the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program, Racine Parental Choice Program, and Wisconsin Parental Choice Program. Schools participating in the program receive a state aid payment for each eligible student on behalf of the student’s parent or guardian. The Bureau also administers the Special Needs Scholarship Program, which allows a student with a disability, who meets certain eligibility requirements, to receive a state-funded scholarship to attend a participating private school.
- Charter Schools: Ensures charter school state and federal compliance and provides resources for charter school improvement. The Bureau assists with charter schools' opening, expansion, and closing and provides technical assistance to school boards, governance boards, school leaders, and families. The Bureau also administers the state’s federal Charter Schools Program State Entities grant and calculates payments for independent charter schools.
- Private Schools: Provides technical assistance to private schools, school districts, and families related to private schools.
- Home-Based Education (Homeschooling): Provides information to families choosing to educate their student(s) at home in accordance with Wisconsin law and maintains the online PI-1206 Homeschool Enrollment Report (HOMER).
- Open Enrollment Program: Oversees Wisconsin’s Public School Open Enrollment program, which allows families to apply for their children to attend public school in a school district other than the one in which they reside.
- Information and Support: Provides families, schools, authorizers, and districts with clear, accurate guidance on navigating available educational options, filing required documentation and reports, and understanding rights and responsibilities under each program. The Bureau also develops and maintains technology systems that facilitate educational option participation, reporting, and analysis. As applicable, the Bureau also calculates payment/funding amounts for different program areas.
Sections
- Charter Schools and Open Enrollment Section
- Library Technical Services