FY2027 No Valid License Audit of FY2025-26 Expenditures

Overview

The No Valid License Audit (NVL) for FY2025-26 data is closes in WISEgrants on September 30, 2026.

Agencies eligible under state statute receive partial reimbursement for certain instructional, transportation and contracted special education costs generated from services provided in the prior year. Each LEA, Independent Charter School (ICS), CESA and CCDEB has an obligation to employ appropriately licensed staff, including special education staff. Staff must be appropriately licensed for a special education work assignment listed in state statute for their salary and benefits or contracted cost to be eligible for aid. DPI audits staff assignment information reported by an LEA in the WISEstaff data collection during the prior year. School boards are required under s.121.02 to ensure appropriately licensed professional staff and under s.118.21 to file licensure at the time a contract is offered.  The audit assists entities meet their obligations under law. Salaries and benefits of special education staff without a valid license in the audited year are not eligible for Wisconsin special education categorical aid.

State special education categorical aid distributed during FY 2026-27 is based on FY 2025-26 accounts reported in WISEdata Finance. DPI relies on correct, live financial data from the LEA, CESAs, CCDEBs and Charter Schools. The LEA reclassifies the costs as non-aidable, or project 019, prior to aid calculations and payments. 

To correct special education license data, LEAs will be required to submit the compensation amounts tied to the staff showing up on the WISEstaff Audit Report through the No Valid Special Education License Report in WISEgrants. WISEgrants will then reconcile the amount reported as Project 019 with WISEdata Finance to determine if the reclassification of costs has occurred. All reconciliation issues must be resolved to ensure the correct amount of special education categorical aid is calculated by DPI. Agencies who do not complete the NVL process will not be included in the special education aid calculation and will not receive an aid payment in November.