2025 - 2026 LEGISLATURE
LRB-1850/1
FFK:emw
2025 SENATE BILL 32
February 12, 2025 - Introduced by Senator TOMCZYK, cosponsored by
Representatives FRANKLIN, BEHNKE, STEFFEN, VOS, WICHGERS and ALLEN.
Referred to Committee on Education.
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.
Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau
This bill requires school boards to spend a minimum amount of operating
expenditures on direct classroom expenditures and limits annual compensation
increases for school administrators.
REQUIREMENT TO SPEND 70 PERCENT OF OPERATING EXPENDITURES ON DIRECT
CLASSROOM COSTS
The bill requires each school board to spend at least 70 percent of its operating
expenditures in each school year on direct classroom expenditures. Under the bill,
Xdirect classroom expendituresY are expenditures for salaries and benefits of
teachers and teacher aides, instructional supplies, tuition, athletic programs, and
cocurricular activities.
Under the bill, if a school board fails to meet the 70 percent threshold in any
school year, the school board must increase the amount spent on direct classroom
expenditures by at least 2 percent in each succeeding school year until the 70
percent level is reached. In addition, in the school year following a school year in
which a school board fails to meet the 70 percent threshold, the bill directs the
1
2
3
4 2025 - 2026 Legislature
SENATE BILL 32
- 2 - LRB-1850/1
FFK:emw
Department of Public Instruction to reduce the school district[s state aid payments
by the difference between what the school board spent on direct classroom
expenditures and the minimum that it should have spent on direct classroom
expenditures and prohibits the school board from levying additional property taxes
to compensate for the reduction. Finally, if the total reduction in state aid and other
state payments does not cover a school board[s excess expenditures, DPI must order
the school board to reduce the property tax obligations of its taxpayers, including
providing refunds to taxpayers who have already paid their annual taxes, by an
amount that represents the amount of excess expenditures that have not been
recovered through the state aid reductions.
LIMITATION ON ANNUAL COMPENSATION INCREASES FOR SCHOOL
ADMINISTRATORS
The bill limits the amount a school board may increase the total compensation
paid to a school district administrator, business manager, or school principal, or an
assistant to any of those positions (collectively, school administrators), to the
average annual percentage increase in total compensation that the school board
provided to teachers in the school district.
Under current law, the term of a school administrator contract is limited to no
more than two years but may provide for additional one year extensions. The pay
increase limitation created in the bill first applies to contracts entered into,
renewed, or modified on the date the bill becomes law.
For further information see the state and local fiscal estimate, which will be
printed as an appendix to this bill.
The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do
enact as follows:
SECTION 1. 118.24 (1) of the statutes is amended to read:
118.24 (1) A school board may employ a school district administrator, a
business manager, and school principals and assistants to such persons. The term
of each employment contract may not exceed 2 years. A contract for a term of 2
years may provide for one or more extensions of one year each. In an employment
contract under this subsection, a school board may not provide a school district
administrator, business manager, or school principal, or an assistant to such a
person, an annual percentage increase in total compensation that is greater than
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8 2025 - 2026 Legislature
SENATE BILL 32
- 3 - LRB-1850/1
FFK:emw
SECTION 1
the average annual percentage increase in total compensation provided to teachers
in the school district.
SECTION 2. 119.44 (2) (c) of the statutes is amended to read:
119.44 (2) (c) The information specified under s. 120.18 (1) (gm), (h), and (i).
SECTION 3. 120.18 (1) (h) of the statutes is created to read:
120.18 (1) (h) The percentage of the school district[s total operating
expenditures that were spent during the school year on direct classroom
expenditures, as defined in s. 121.10 (1) (a).
SECTION 4. 121.085 (1) of the statutes is amended to read:
121.085 (1) The department shall make state aid adjustments under s. ss.
118.51 (16) and (17) and 121.10 before making a reduction under s. 115.7915 (4m)
(f), 118.40 (2r) (g) or (2x) (f), or 118.60 (4d) (b).
SECTION 5. 121.10 of the statutes is created to read:
121.10 Classroom expenditures. (1) DEFINITIONS. In this section:
(a) XDirect classroom expendituresY means expenditures for salaries and
benefits of teachers and teacher aides, instructional supplies, tuition, athletic
programs, and cocurricular activities.
(b) XExcess expendituresY means the amount determined as follows, if a
positive number:
1. Multiply the school district[s total operating expenditures by 0.7.
2. Subtract from the product under subd. 1. the amount spent by the school
district for direct classroom expenditures.
(2) CLASSROOM EXPENDITURES; MINIMUM AMOUNT. (a) Annually, the school
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23 2025 - 2026 Legislature
SENATE BILL 32
- 4 - LRB-1850/1
FFK:emw
SECTION 5
board shall spend at least 70 percent of a school district[s total operating
expenditures on direct classroom expenditures.
(b) If in any school year a school board spends less than 70 percent of the
school district[s total operating expenditures on direct classroom expenditures, the
school board shall increase the percentage spent on direct classroom expenditures
by at least 2 percent each succeeding school year until the 70 percent level is
attained.
(3) STATE AID REDUCTION. The state superintendent shall do all of the
following:
(a) Deduct from the state aid payment to a school district under s. 121.08 in
the school year following any school year in which the school district violated sub.
(2) (a) an amount equal to the excess expenditures for the school district or the
amount of those aids, whichever is less.
(b) If the amount of the deduction under par. (a) is insufficient to cover the
excess expenditures, deduct from the other state aid payments to the school district
in the school year following the school year in which the school district violated sub.
(2) (a) an amount equal to the remaining excess expenditures or the amount of
those payments, whichever is less.
(c) If the amount of the deductions under pars. (a) and (b) is insufficient to
cover the excess expenditures, order the school board to reduce the property tax
obligations of its taxpayers by an amount that represents the remainder of the
excess expenditures. The school district[s refunds to taxpayers who have already
paid their taxes shall be increased by interest at the rate of 0.5 percent per month.
If the school board violates the order, any resident of the school district may seek
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24 2025 - 2026 Legislature
SENATE BILL 32
- 5 - LRB-1850/1
FFK:emw
SECTION 5
injunctive relief. This paragraph does not apply to property taxes levied for the
purpose of paying the principal and interest on valid bonds or notes issued by the
school board.
(d) Ensure that the amount of the aid deductions under this subsection does
not affect the amount determined to be received by a school district as state aid
under s. 121.08 for any other purpose.
SECTION 6. Initial applicability.
(1) The treatment of s. 118.24 (1) first applies to a contract that is entered
into, renewed, or modified on the effective date of this subsection.
SECTION 7. Effective dates. This act takes effect on July 1, 2026, except as
follows:
(1) The treatment of s. 118.24 (1) and SECTION 6 (1) take effect on the day after
publication.
(END)
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14