School Financial Services
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School Financial Services
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Accounting, Auditing and Financial Management
- Aid Payments
- Aids Register
- Audit Requirements
- Budget and Adoption
- CESA Annual Report Information
- County Children with Disability Education Board (CCDEB)
- Debt Reporting Information
- Funds
- Property Value
- PSCP, SNSP & ICS Impacts
- School District Fund Balance Policy
- Standard Tuition
- Wisconsin Uniform Financial Accounting Requirements (WUFAR)
- State/Federal Aid and Grant Programs
- Counting Children
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Reporting to SFS
- Referenda Information
- WISEdata Finance and WiSFiP
- School Finance Reporting Portals
- Additional Reporting Instructions
- Chapter 220 Membership Reporting
- School Level Reporting per Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)
- School Calendar - Days and Hours of Instruction
- PI-1500 District Contacts Report
- CESA Annual Reports
- Revenue Limits
- Calendars and Communication
- Statistical
- Presentations and Tutorials
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School District Support
- Pupil Transportation
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School District Reorganization
- Detachment and Attachment of Territories
- School District Consolidation
- Dissolution of a School District
- Creating a New School District
- Territory Annexed to Certain Municipalities
- School District Boundary Dispute Resolution
- Forms and Templates
- History and Orders
- Glossary of School District Reorganization Terms
- School Operations
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Accounting, Auditing and Financial Management
Wisconsin's Common School Fund
Common School Fund Distribution (Library Aid)
School districts receive an annual distribution of earnings from the Common School Fund. These funds (commonly known as Library Aid) are used to purchase library books and other instructional materials. The Common School Fund is the primary, and often only, source of funding for school libraries in Wisconsin. Managed by the Board of Commissioners of Public Lands (BCPL), the Common School Fund was established by the Wisconsin Constitution in 1848 with the granting of about 1.5 million acres of land for educational purposes. The vast majority of these lands were sold to create the principal for a permanent school fund, with the earnings to be exclusively used to support and maintain common schools (now known as K-12 public schools) and the purchase of suitable libraries and apparatus therefor. The Wisconsin Constitution also provided for growth of Common School Fund principal through the addition of clear proceeds of all fines, fees and forfeitures, including unclaimed property.
Distribution Details
School districts receive an annual distribution of earnings from the Common School Fund. This distribution is based on the number of residents ages four to twenty and the district census count as of June 30 is reported annually.
In January, the BCPL provides an estimate of the funds available for distribution which is divided by the total census reported by all districts to determine the per child amount. Each district receives an allocation based on their reported resident census count and the per child amount. Final payment is made in April.
Additional Information
Eligible purchases and additional information can be found at the Division for Libraries and Technology Common School Fund Page.
If you have any questions regarding school library purchases that meet the requirements of the Common School Fund, see Purchasing Guidelines. If you have any questions regarding school library purchases that meet the requirements of the Common School Fund, contact the School Library Media Education Consultant Monica Treptow at (608) 575-6065. Additional information about BCPL and the Common School Fund may be found at bcpl.wisconsin.gov or https://dpi.wi.gov/common-school-fund.