38.27 Incentive grants.

(1) The board shall annually notify each district board of those purposes for which grants may be awarded under this section. Grants may be awarded only for the purposes of assisting in:

(a) The creation or expansion of adult high school, adult basic education and English as a 2nd language courses. The board shall give priority to courses serving students with disabilities or minority, unemployed, or disadvantaged students.

(b) The creation or expansion of programs, courses or services, and related staff and instructional material development:

1. Which address the need to train emerging skills, skills resulting from occupational or technological change or skills in occupations experiencing substantial growth.

2. For which there is significant projected long-term job growth; and

3. That comply with state program priorities and plans for coordinating the efficient and cost-effective delivery of services.

(c) The purchase or lease of high-cost instructional equipment necessary to develop or improve new or expanding occupational training programs:

1. Which address emerging skilled training needs;

2. For which there is significant projected long-term job growth; and

3. That comply with state program priorities and plans for coordinating the efficient and cost-effective delivery of services.

(d) Programs that foster the provision of classroom instruction for apprentices and the upgrading of journeymen.

(e) Educational programs, courses or services that would not otherwise be established or maintained because of limitations in district fiscal capacity.

(g) The creation or expansion of programs that assist business and industry in adopting and implementing new technology, including training in the use of new technology and instructional and continuing educational opportunities in the adoption and implementation of new technology.

(h) The creation or expansion of programs at secured juvenile correctional facilities.

(2)

(a) Any district board or combination of district boards may apply to the board for a grant to accomplish the purposes identified by the board under sub. (1).

(b) The board shall review the applications submitted under par. (a) according to procedures and criteria established by the board. Prior to awarding a grant for the purpose of sub. (1) (e), the board shall consider the principle of comparable budgetary support for similar programs and ensure that the program being considered for a grant is efficient and cost-effective. The board shall notify the applicant whether its application has been approved and, if approved, of the amount and the conditions of the grant to be awarded.

(c) Amounts awarded under this section shall be paid from the appropriation under s. 20.292 (1) (f) and may be paid in installments. Except as provided under par. (cm), amounts awarded for the purposes of sub. (1) (b) to (d) and (g) shall range from 25 percent to 75 percent of the total project cost. The board shall require the district board to provide the remaining percentage share of total project cost.

(cm) For grants awarded to combinations of district boards for projects that support regional or statewide activities, the board shall determine the percentage of total project cost that the grant may fund.

(d) Amounts awarded for the purpose of sub. (1) (a) or (e) may be awarded on a continuing basis, pending the availability of funds. Amounts awarded to support the establishment of new programs under sub. (1) (b) or (g) may be awarded for a period of up to 3 years, pending the availability of funds.

(e) Funds received under this section for the purpose of sub. (1) (a), (b), (c), (d) or (g) may not be used to supplant funds otherwise available for such purposes.

(f) The recipient of a grant under sub. (1) (g) shall give preference, in assisting business and industry, to small and medium-sized businesses.

(2m) The board shall ensure that:

(a) Beginning in the 1989-90 fiscal year, not more than $1,500,000 annually is awarded for the purpose of sub. (1) (e).

(b) Not more than 25 percent of the total amount awarded under this section in any fiscal year is for the purposes of sub. (1) (c).

(e) Beginning in the 1997-98 fiscal year, not more than $150,000 annually is awarded for the purpose of sub. (1) (h).

(f) Beginning in the 2001-02 school year, at least $0 annually is awarded under this section to districts with limited fiscal capacity, as defined by the board.

(3)

(a) Each recipient of a grant under this section shall, by September 1 of the fiscal year following receipt of the grant, file a report with the board. The report shall evaluate the recipient's performance in attaining the goals specified in the application submitted under sub. (2).

(b) The board shall develop and implement an audit program to assess the effectiveness of the grants made under this section in accomplishing the intended goals.

History: 1985 a. 29; 1987 a. 399, 419; 1989 a. 31; 1991 a. 39; 1993 a. 16; 1995 a. 27; 1997 a. 27; 2001 a. 16; 2013 a. 20; 2019 a. 9.