Section 38.14. District board powers.

 

(1)   Legal proceedings. The district board may sue and be sued in the name of the district and may prosecute or defend all suits brought by or against the district.

(2)   Buildings and equipment.

(a) For the use of the district schools, the district board may:

1. Purchase or lease materials, supplies and equipment.

2. Purchase or lease suitable land and buildings and rent to others any portion of such land and buildings not needed for school purposes.

3. Construct, enlarge and improve buildings. Existing school buildings and equipment shall be used as far as practicable.

(b) If there is a county teachers college in the district which is no longer in operation, the district board shall utilize the existing buildings and equipment of the college to the extent possible.

(bm) With the approval of the director under s. 38.04 (2) , the district board may sell any property which it finds to be no longer needed by the district.

(c) All conveyances, leases and contracts under this subsection shall be in the name of the district.

(d) With the approval of the board under s. 38.04 (10) (c) , the district board may:

1. Lease facilities to others for school purposes. The district board may not enter into a lease under this subdivision after June 30, 1999.

2. Lease land to others for the construction of a building for school purposes if any future acquisition of the building by the district board will not expose the district board to an expenditure exceeding $500,000, excluding moneys received from gifts, grants or federal funds. The district board may not enter into a lease under this subdivision after June 30, 1991.

(3)   Contracts for services.

(a) The district board may enter into contracts to provide educational services to public and private educational institutions, tribal schools, federal and state agencies, local governmental bodies, industries, and businesses.

(am) If a district board contracts with a school board to provide youth apprenticeship instruction to pupils enrolled in the school district, the district board may not charge the school board an amount that is greater than the technical college district's direct instructional costs associated with providing the instruction.

(b) The district board may enter into contracts with local community-based organizations for basic skills instruction.

(bm) The district board may enter into contracts to provide fiscal and management services to public and private educational institutions, tribal schools, federal and state agencies, and local governmental units.

(c) A district board may contract with a foreign government or any business which is not operating in this state, if a district board demonstrates that the district will receive a direct and measurable benefit from the contract and that the contract will not result in a reduction in the quality of education at district schools and if all of the following conditions are met:

1. The contract meets all of the requirements for a district board contract under this subsection.

2. The contract provides for full cost recovery so that no direct or indirect costs under the contract will be funded by the district.

3. The district board reviews all cost allocation and record-keeping systems for all services provided under the contract, which shall be subject to audit by the district board, and provides guidelines which conform with the requirements of this paragraph.

4. The district board agrees to conduct an audit, on at least an annual basis, to determine that no state aids or district tax funds are spent in the execution of the contract.

(d) No district employee may receive compensation from a contract under par. (c) in excess of the compensation that he or she receives as compensation as a district employee, and any compensation that a district employee receives from a contract under par. (c) shall be paid in proportion to the percentage of an employee's workload that represents the amount of time that an employee is assigned to work under a contract.

(e) The district board shall establish and file with the board policies governing contracting under this subsection. By December 1, 1990, and annually by December 1 thereafter, the district board shall submit to the board, in a form determined by the board, a report identifying all contracts under which the district board provided services under this subsection in the preceding fiscal year, and any other information requested by the board.

Cross-reference: See also ch. TCS 8 , Wis. adm. code.

(4)   Gifts and grants. The district board may accept gifts, grants and bequests to be used in the execution of its functions.

(5)   Advisory committees. The district board may establish advisory committees representing every occupation in the district. Each advisory committee shall consist of equal numbers of employers and employees selected by the district board from recommendations submitted by representative organizations and associations of each occupation. The district board and the district director may request the advice and assistance of these advisory committees in selecting, purchasing and installing equipment, in preparing course materials, in developing instructional methods and vocational guidance programs and for such other purposes as the district board desires.

(6)   Transportation. The district board may provide transportation for students within the district, but no state aid may be paid for this service.

(7)   Sale of articles. The district board may sell at market value articles manufactured in district schools. The proceeds from such sales shall be paid to the district treasurer.

(9)   Activity, incidental and vocational-adult seminar and workshop fees. Subject to s. 38.24 (1v) , the district board may establish student activity and incidental fees to fund, in whole or in part, the cost of services and activities offered as support services for regular instruction. With the approval of the state director, the district board may establish fees for vocational-adult seminars and workshops, not to exceed the full cost of the seminar or workshop less the fee charged under s. 38.24 (1m) .

(10)   Bonds for officers and employees. The district board may require an officer or employee of the district board to give security for the faithful performance of his or her duties in such form and amount as the district board determines, and may require at any time additional bonds and sureties of any officer or employee.

(11)   Displaced homemakers' program. The district board may apply for and spend grant funds from the board for displaced homemakers' programs. The district board may spend those grant funds for contracts with local community organizations.

(12)   Initiatives to provide coordinated services. If the county board of supervisors establishes an initiative to provide coordinated services under s. 59.53 (7) , the district board may participate in the initiative and may enter into written interagency agreements or contracts under the initiative.

(13)   Parking regulations and fees. The district board may adopt resolutions regulating the parking of motor vehicles on property under its jurisdiction. The resolutions may establish a fee for the parking of motor vehicles by students, faculty, staff and visitors and fines for the violation of any parking regulation. Nothing in this subsection requires that all users of the parking facilities be charged a parking fee.

(14)   Student identification numbers. The district board may assign to each student enrolled in the district a unique identification number. The district board shall not assign to any student an identification number that is identical to or incorporates the student's social security number. This subsection does not prohibit a district board from requiring a student to disclose his or her social security number, nor from using a student's social security number if such use is required by a federal or state agency or private organization in order for the district board or the student to participate in a particular program.

1971 c. 154 , 215 ; 1977 c. 29 ; 1979 c. 221 ; 1981 c. 20 , 93 , 269 ; 1985 a. 29 ; 1987 a. 27 , 403 ; 1989 a. 31 ; 1991 a. 39 , 67 ; 1995 a. 201 ; 1997 a. 27 , 85 , 128 ; 2009 a. 302 , 334 ; 2013 a. 20 ; 2015 a. 55 . The Milwaukee technical college may acquire and operate a retail service station as a part of a vocational training program. 58 Atty. Gen. 23. A vocational, technical and adult education (technical college) district has authority to purchase buildings for administration purposes or student dormitory housing, and in doing so would not violate the constitutional ban on works of internal improvement. 60 Atty. Gen. 231. VTAE (technical college) districts and the state board of vocational, technical and adult education do not have the power of eminent domain and, therefore, are not subject to ss. 32.19 to 32.27, the relocation act. 63 Atty. Gen. 367. A VTAE (technical college) board may subsidize public bus lines to provide transportation under sub. (6). 65 Atty. Gen. 305.