An Act to amend 118.24 (1), 119.44 (2) (c) and 121.085 (1); to create 120.18 (1) (h) and 121.10 of the statutes; Relating to: requiring a school board to spend at least 70 percent of its operating expenditures on direct classroom expenditures and annual pay increases for school administrators. (FE)
Summary
AB6 would require Wisconsin school boards to direct at least 70% of a district’s total operating expenditures toward “direct classroom expenditures.” The bill defines those expenditures to include teacher and teacher aide salaries and benefits, instructional supplies, tuition, athletic programs, and cocurricular activities. If a district falls below the 70% threshold in any school year, it must increase classroom spending by at least 2 percentage points in each following year until it reaches the target.
The bill also places new limits on school administrator pay. For school district administrators, business managers, principals, and their assistants, a school board could not grant an annual percentage increase in total compensation greater than the average annual percentage increase given to teachers in the district. That limit would apply to contracts entered into, renewed, or modified when the bill takes effect, while the broader bill’s provisions would generally take effect on July 1, 2026.
Impact
AB6 would amend existing statutes governing school district administration, public reporting, and state aid calculations. It adds a new reporting requirement for districts to disclose the percentage of operating expenditures spent on direct classroom costs, and it authorizes the Department of Public Instruction to reduce state aid and, if necessary, other state payments when a district fails to meet the spending requirement. If those reductions still do not cover the shortfall, DPI must order property tax reductions and taxpayer refunds, with interest, subject to an exception for debt service levies. The bill also changes school administrator contract rules by capping annual compensation growth relative to teacher raises.
Sentiment
The bill appears to have been supported by its Assembly sponsors and advanced on the floor, passing the Assembly after a close vote. The recorded votes suggest a partisan split and a contested measure rather than broad bipartisan consensus. However, the available record does not include committee testimony or debate transcripts, so the specific arguments for and against the bill are not documented here.
Contention
The main points of contention are likely the bill’s mandated spending formula and its enforcement mechanism. Supporters would view the 70% classroom-spending requirement and administrator pay cap as accountability measures that prioritize instruction over administration. Opponents would likely object that the bill restricts local school board budgeting discretion, uses state aid penalties and taxpayer refunds as enforcement tools, and may be difficult to apply because “direct classroom expenditures” includes categories such as athletics and cocurricular activities that can be debated at the margins. The administrator compensation cap may also be controversial because it ties management pay increases to teacher raises, regardless of local labor-market conditions or district needs.
Crossfiled
An Act to amend 118.24 (1), 119.44 (2) (c) and 121.085 (1); to create 120.18 (1) (h) and 121.10 of the statutes; Relating to: requiring a school board to spend at least 70 percent of its operating expenditures on direct classroom expenditures and annual pay increases for school administrators. (FE)
Requiring a school board to spend at least 70 percent of its operating expenditures on direct classroom expenditures and annual pay increases for school administrators. (FE)
Requires health care plans and payors to have a minimum of twelve and one-half percent of their total expenditures on physical and mental health annually be for primary care services.
Individual income tax: credit; credit for expenditures by school teachers and administrators for school supplies; provide for. Amends 1967 PA 281 (MCL 206.1 - 206.847) by adding sec. 285.
To Require Disclosure And Reporting Of Noncandidate Expenditures Pertaining To Appellate Judicial Elections; And To Adopt New Laws Concerning Appellate Judicial Campaigns.