1. (1)

   1. (a) Annually by the fourth Monday in March, school boards of eligible school districts may apply to the department for a 4K grant under this subchapter for the following school year. A school district is eligible to apply if it meets all of the following requirements:

      1. 1. The school district did not count pupils in a 4K program for equalization aid and revenue limit purposes on the PI-1563 pupil count report collected pursuant to s. 121.05 (1), Stats., in the school year prior to the first year of the grant.
      2. 2. The school district has an existing contract or agreement with a community based provider if using a community approach or community based provider.
      3. 3. The school district completes the department’s application in a timely and complete manner.

   2. (b) In awarding a grant, the department shall give priority to school districts that use community approaches to early education which establish and maintain both of the following:

      1. 1. A collaborative committee, council, or advisory group. The collaborative committee, council or advisory group must be involved in the initial planning, public awareness, delivery models, staff development, program design, site selection, staffing patterns, policy development, program standards and curriculum, as well as the on-going implementation and administration of the program. The collaborative committee, council or advisory group shall include representatives from community based providers; the school district, which shall include an administrator, school board member, or principal and a school district employed teacher of early childhood education or kindergarten; and a representative of other relevant community interest groups.

      2. 2. A contract or agreement that defines the partnerships between the school district and all community based providers. The school district must have at least one site of the school district’s 4K program at a non-school district site, not including a private home, or on a school district site administered by a community based provider. These sites shall be within the school district’s boundaries or may be offered through an interdistrict agreement under s. 66.0301, Stats. The contract or agreement shall define all of the following roles and responsibilities related to the 4K program operation:

         1. a. The school district’s process to oversee and supervise the program to assure compliance with state and federal education laws.
         2. b. The community based provider’s process to assure compliance with applicable state and federal laws regulating its program.
         3. c. The program components and design, including hours, length of program, staffing design, staff development, curriculum, class size, and parent outreach activities.
         4. d. The resources provided by each entity necessary for the delivery of the program.
         5. e. The financial arrangements which assure the school district covers the cost of program instruction.
         6. f. The recruitment and enrollment practices that assure the school district program is open to all age eligible children and that the community based provider assures that enrollment is not contingent upon enrollment in any program offered by the community based provider, unless this conflicts with the provider’s federal regulations.

2. (2) A school district operating a 4K program funded under sub. (1) shall do all of the following:

   1. (a) Make the program open and accessible to all age eligible children of the school district at no charge.
   2. (b) Pay the full cost of the 4K program, including the costs associated with programs located on a non-school district site. Such costs include staff compensation, special education, and support services for pupils, facilities, supplies, and staff development.

   3. (c) Comply with all applicable state statutes, including the school district standards under s. 121.02 (1), Stats., and transportation requirements under s. 121.54 (1) and (2), Stats.

      Note: PI-7801 Four-Year-Old Kindergarten (4K) Start-Up Grant Application, may be obtained at no charge by writing to the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, P.O. Box 7841, Madison, WI 53707-7841 or by going to the department’s web site at https://dpi.wi.gov/early-childhood/kind/4k/start-up-grants.

History

History: 2017 Wis. Act 93: renum. from PI 16.03 and am. (1) (a) (intro.), (2) (intro.), (c) Register December 2017 No. 744, eff. 1-1-18.