38.26 Minority student participation and retention grants.

(1) In this section, “minority student" means a student enrolled in a district school who is a minority group member, as defined in s. 16.287 (1) (f).

(2) 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 programs that provide counseling and tutoring services for minority students.

(b) Programs that demonstrate innovative approaches to increasing minority student placement and retention in technical education programs that have a high earning potential for their graduates.

(c) Providing internships to minority students enrolled in programs that prepare their graduates for admission to a teacher education program at an institution within the University of Wisconsin System.

(d) Programs that combine basic skills and occupational training as a means of expediting basic skills remediation and increasing retention of minority students.

(e) Programs that use community-based organizations to assist in the recruitment, training and retention of minority students.

(3)

(a) Any district board may apply to the board for a grant to accomplish the purposes identified by the board under sub. (2).

(b) The board shall review the applications submitted under par. (a) according to procedures and criteria established by the board. The board shall notify the district board whether the district board's application has been approved and, if approved, of the amount and the conditions of the grant to be awarded.

(c) Amounts awarded under par. (b) shall be paid from the appropriation under s. 20.292 (1) (f) and may be paid to the district board in installments. Amounts awarded 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.

(4)

(a) Each district board receiving a grant under this section shall, by September 1 of the school year following receipt of the grant, file a report with the board. The report shall evaluate the district board's performance in attaining the goals specified in the application submitted under sub. (3).

(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: 1991 a. 39; 2011 a. 32; 2013 a. 20.