Starting June 1, non-profits, like private schools and churches, will be exempt from collecting sales taxes on higher admission revenue amounts. The new law, 2021 Act 167, raises the exempt revenue amount from $10,000 to $50,000. This may be especially helpful to schools that sponsor athletic tournaments or musicals and charge admission. The change in [...]
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Current Events
A library of WCRIS weekly E-letters that keeps you updated on issues of concern to private schools
First Busing Deadline Approaches
March 10, 2022
Schools should remember that there are two deadlines that must be met to receive transportation for their students. Private schools, by April 1, must submit their proposed attendance area for the upcoming school year to each of the public school boards having any territory within the private school’s attendance area. For example, if your school’s [...]
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Your Help Needed: Water Regulations
March 10, 2022
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is working on a potential rule concerning water treatment requirements for public water systems, which includes rural private schools on a private well. Our schools are potentially affected because a “public water system” is defined by the federal government as, “any water system – whether owned by a governmental entity [...]
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New IDEA Guidance from US DE
March 03, 2022
The U.S. Department of Education (ED) just released its new Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) guidance on equitable services. The document, Questions and Answers on Serving Children with Disabilities Placed By Their Parents in Private Schools, is a Feb. 28, 2022 update to the 2011 guidance. The 55-page guidance covers many of the topics [...]
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Vouchers and PPP
March 03, 2022
When Congress provided the first round of Coronavirus relief aid, it inadvertently created accounting problems for voucher schools. WCRIS jumped into the fray and sought an emergency rule change from DPI that would allow the state to administer the federal funds in a way that doesn’t hurt schools in a parental choice program. All choice [...]
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WCRIS Partnership: Saving Your School Money
March 03, 2022
Why have your school use precious renovation or new construction dollars to pay high-interest rates for debt when there is a cheaper, but lesser-known, alternative? That’s why WCRIS has been working for years with the Wisconsin Health & Educational Facilities Authority (WHEFA), a state agency, to encourage schools to use tax-exempt financing when it’s time [...]
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Accessing PD under Title II-A
February 17, 2022
Question: If I am the president of a private school or system of private schools, can I use Title II-A federal funds to attend professional development? Answer: It depends, based on your job responsibilities. Generally, Title II-A can only be used for professional development for teachers and staff who are involved on a daily basis [...]
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EANS Webinar Takeaways
February 10, 2022
Here are five important takeaways from the recent CESA 6 EANS II webinar, according to WCRIS staff who participated. They watched the Feb. 3 webinar, and share this in case you couldn’t attend: There will be a separate form for ARP-EANS (l) and CRRSA-EANS (ll) requests. The two programs are operating as separate pots of [...]
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Aid for School Social Workers
February 10, 2022
Schools can now submit claims to the DPI Student Services, Prevention & Wellness (SSPW) Team’s Aid for School Mental Health Programs. The Program is designed to reimburse the cost of employing or contracting with school social workers. Schools have until March 12 to submit claims. You can submit a claim by going <a href=”https://widpi.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_blsO85uAvIF6mcS”>here</a>. To [...]
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Child Mental Health Resources
February 10, 2022
From deaths of loved ones to loss of rituals and routines, children and youth have experienced many types of loss during the pandemic. Attending to a young person’s grief helps them heal and become healthier and more resilient moving forward, experts say. The Wisconsin Office of Children’s Mental Health has a new fact-sheet, Supporting Child [...]
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