Wisconsin Assembly Bill AB611

Wisconsin 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 10/29/25
• Refer: 10/29/25
• Failed: 3/23/26

Caption

An Act to repeal and recreate 115.437 (2) (b) of the statutes; Relating to: per pupil aid. (FE)

Summary

AB611 would change how Wisconsin calculates the per pupil aid paid to school districts. Under current law, this aid is based on a three-year average enrollment count and a fixed per-pupil dollar amount set in statute. The bill would keep the existing enrollment-based formula but replace the fixed amount with a formula that automatically increases the school district per-pupil amount each year, starting in the 2026-27 school year, by any positive year-to-year increase in the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program payment for a private school student in grades 9 through 12. In practical terms, the bill ties school district per pupil aid growth to the same annual changes used for the high school portion of the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program. This would likely create an ongoing inflation-style adjustment for district aid rather than leaving the amount frozen at the current statutory level of $742 for 2025-26 and later years under existing law. The bill does not change the basic structure of per pupil aid as categorical aid funded by a sum sufficient appropriation and excluded from revenue limits; it only changes the method for setting the per-pupil amount used in the calculation.

Impact

AB611 would amend Wisconsin Statutes section 115.437(2)(b) by repealing and recreating the provision governing the per pupil amount used to calculate school district aid. The effect would be to make district per pupil aid automatically track increases in the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program high school per-pupil payment, beginning in 2026-27, if that payment rises from one year to the next. This would affect school districts receiving per pupil aid and the state budget because the aid is funded through a sum sufficient appropriation. It would also indirectly link district aid policy to private school choice funding formulas under section 119.23.

Sentiment

The bill text and available context suggest a policy aimed at increasing or preserving school district aid over time by indexing it to another education funding stream. Because there are no committee transcripts or recorded votes provided, there is no documented floor or committee debate to indicate broader support or opposition. The bill ultimately failed to pass pursuant to Senate Joint Resolution 1, indicating it did not become law in this session.

Contention

The main point of contention is likely the bill’s decision to tie public school district aid growth to the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program, which may be viewed differently by supporters of public school funding and supporters of school choice. Advocates for districts may favor the automatic increase as a way to prevent aid erosion, while critics could object to linking district aid to private school voucher funding or to the potential fiscal impact on the state. No specific objections or sponsor arguments are included in the provided materials, so these likely policy tensions are inferred from the bill’s structure rather than documented debate.