Federal grants to Necedah & Mauston Schools
In a highly competitive round of grant applications, the Wisconsin Department of Public
Instruction approved 26 awards totaling more than $17 million to plan, open, or expand charter schools in
the state.
The department received 45 grant applications, requesting $29.6 million, about $12 million more
than was available for the first year of charter subgrant funding. In October 2017, the state won a
$95 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education to
support charter activities over the next five years. In this first
round of grants for the 2018-19 school year, 10 charter schools
received planning and implementation grants totaling
$7.6 million to support planning activities for public charter
schools that will open in the fall of 2019, another 10 schools
received implementation grants totaling $6 million for schools
that have recently opened or will open this fall, and six schools received grants totaling nearly $3.8 million to
expand existing, high-quality public charter schools. Grant activities will span two to five years depending on
the grant award.
Grant priorities focused on the growth of high-quality charter schools, especially those that
increase access to alternative public school models and improve academic outcomes for educationally
disadvantaged secondary (grades six through 12) students. High-quality charter schools:
- show evidence of strong academic results, which may include student
academic growth;
- operate in a safe and fiscally appropriate manner that meets statutory and
regulatory requirements; and
- demonstrate success in significantly increasing student academic
achievement, including graduation rates for all students and for each
subgroup of students served by the school.
Additionally, grant evaluators considered applications that would work to promote best practices and
collaboration between charter schools and other schools in the state. The structure of the state’s subgrant
awards differs from past years in its focus on providing expanded charter opportunities to educationally
disadvantaged students in an effort to close gaps.
Part of Wisconsin’s federal grant will support the Wisconsin Resource Center for Charter Schools,
developed to offer statewide technical assistance and support to both charter and traditional public schools,
charter governing boards, and authorizers. Housed within Cooperative Educational Service Agency 9, the
center serves as the point of contact for individuals or organizations around charter school development.
During the 2017-18 school year, Wisconsin had 234 charter schools, serving more than 42,000
students, placing the state near the top of the nation in terms of charter schools opportunities per capita.
Wisconsin’s 2017-18 charter schools received their charters from 98 of the state’s 422 school districts and
three independent authorizers. Grant awards for 2018-19 are going to 26 charter schools authorized by
21 authorizers, seven of which are new authorizers that do not currently have any operating charter schools.
All public school districts in the state can authorize charter schools. In addition, the most recent
biennial budget expanded the number of independent authorizers to include any technical college district
board and any chancellor in the University of Wisconsin System, bringing the total number of entities in the
state that can authorize charter schools to over 450. Applications for the second round of competitive
charter school grants for the 2019-20 school year, totaling approximately $17 million, will open in late fall
or early winter
Charter School Grants
2018-19 School Year
Planning & Implementation Grants
(10) $7,578,500
Gilman School District
WIN Virtual Academy, $800,000
Green Bay Area Public School District
Northeast Wisconsin School of Innovation, $900,000
Necedah Area School District
N-Able Academy, $800,000
N-Vision Learning Center, $700,000
North Fond du Lac School District
Treffert Way School for the Exceptional Mind, $700,000
Northern Ozaukee School District
Riveredge Outdoor Science Elementary School, $700,000
Ripon Area School District
Ripon Virtual School, $900,000
Solon Springs School District
Eagles’ Wings Public Montessori, $678,500
Tomorrow River School District
Tomorrow River Community Middle School, $700,000
University of Wisconsin System-Office of
Educational Opportunity
Arbor Community School, Location TBD, $700,000
Implementation Grants (10) $6,026,477
Cambridge School District
Koshkonong Trails, $486,492
Milwaukee Public Schools
Milwaukee Excellence Charter School, $750,000
Northland Pines School District
Northland Pines Montessori Learning
Center, $307,036
Stevens Point Area Public School District
Point of Discovery School, $550,000
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Pathways High Charter School, $750,000
Penfield Montessori Academy, $550,000
UCC Acosta Middle School, $731,699
University of Wisconsin System-Office of
Educational Opportunity
Isthmus Montessori Academy Public,
Madison, $750,625
One City Senior Preschool, Madison, $500,000
Waupaca School District
Chain Exploration Center, $650,625
Expansion Grants (6) $3,780,135
City of Milwaukee
Central City Cyberschool of Milwaukee, $750,000
Fond du Lac School District
Fond du Lac STEM Institute, $650,625
Janesville School District
Rock University High School, $650,000
Mauston School District
iLead Charter School, $650,000
Monona Grove School District
Monona Grove Liberal Arts Charter School for
the 21st Century, $529,510
Watertown Unified School District
Endeavor Charter School, $550,000
Source: WRJC.com
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