Late last week, the DPI provided its first update on the status of the up-to 50% reimbursement grants for approved curricula, available to public, charter and choice schools under 2023 Wisconsin Act 20. 

The grant application will open soon on the department’s website, according to the DPI.

But because of the timeline for available funding and the requirement that grants are to be prorated based on the number of schools and districts that apply and the amount they seek, it’s possible that schools won’t see money from the grants until 2026. As WCRIS suspected, the amount of grant money each school will receive can’t be guaranteed. Read the department’s statement.

What this means for choice schools: Three-cueing is still prohibited beginning next school year. If your school is hoping to purchase an approved curriculum and to get reimbursement, it’ll be difficult to budget how much you’ll receive and when. You can purchase another curriculum not on the list if it doesn’t include three-cueing, but you won’t be eligible to apply for the grant.

Some of our member schools have asked if they could retroactively apply for reimbursement if they previously purchased a curriculum that ended up being on the approved curricula list. The DPI states that the grant period begins March 11, 2024 (the date the legislature approved the curricula list) so approved curricula purchased after that date could be eligible. 

The DPI also released a toolkit to help schools evaluate curricula options that aren’t on the recommended list. It’s geared towards public school districts. Take a look here. 

As a reminder these are the four approved curricula options eligible for a partial reimbursement grant, which are now listed on the DPI’s website: 

  • Bookworms Reading and Writing K-3 (Open Up Resources, 2022);
  • Core Knowledge Language Arts K-3 (CKLA, Amplify Education, 2022);
  • EL Education K-3 Language Arts (Open Up Resources, 2017);
  • Wit and Wisdom (Great Minds, 2020) with Geodes and PK-3 Reading Curriculum (Really Great Reading).

As of the time of publication, the DPI hasn’t opened the grant application. Stay tuned to Current Events for updates.