Wisconsin Code § 119.18

Board; powers
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(1g) GENERALLY. The board may
do all things reasonable to promote the cause of education, including establishing, providing and improving school district programs, functions and activities for the benefit of pupils.
(1r) RULES. (a) Subject to par. (b), the board may adopt and
modify or repeal rules for its own government and for the organization, discipline and management of the public schools which
shall promote the good order and public usefulness of the public
schools.
(b) The board may not establish by rule any limit on the number of pupils who may enroll in a charter school that is not an instrumentality of the school district, as determined under s.
118.40 (7).
(2) DISTRIBUTION OF PRINTED PROCEEDINGS. The board may
determine the distribution of the printed proceedings of the
board.
(3) TRANSPORTATION. The board may provide for the transportation of pupils to and from any school within the city.
(4) INSURANCE. The board may provide for accident insurance covering pupils in the school district.
(5) TEXTBOOKS FOR INDIGENT PUPILS. The board may purchase textbooks for pupils whose parents, guardians or other persons having control or custody of such pupils are without means
to furnish them with textbooks, if the indigency of such pupils
have been investigated and certified by a welfare worker or attendance officer. The local governmental authority administering
poor relief in the city shall reimburse the board for all expenditures by the board for such textbooks. Such textbooks shall be the
property of the city and subject to the disposal of the board.
(6) SCHOOL CALENDAR. The board may determine the school
calendar and vacation periods for each school year for the regular
day schools, summer schools, social centers, and playgrounds.
The board may close any school or dismiss any class in the event
of an emergency, fire or other casualty, quarantine, or epidemic.
(7) SCHOOL HOURS. The board may establish rules scheduling the hours of each school day during which the schools shall
be in session. The board may differentiate between the various
grades in scheduling such school hours.
(8) SCHOOLS CLOSED. The board may determine on which
national, state and local legal holidays and for which educational
conventions the public schools shall be closed. There shall be no
deductions from the annual or monthly compensation of employees not rendering services on such days.
(9) ENROLLMENT UNDER LEGAL NAME. The board may require that any pupil attending public school shall be enrolled under the pupil’s legal name.
(10) EMPLOYEES. (b) Subject to ss. 63.18 to 63.53 when applicable, the board may employ and determine the qualifications,
duties and compensation of any persons as are required in the operation and management of the schools.
(c) The board may employ a staff to aid it in its duties. The
board shall determine the compensation, duties and qualifications of its staff, including whether or not employment of such
staff shall be subject to ss. 63.18 to 63.53.
(11) BONDED OFFICERS AND EMPLOYEES. The board may require any officer or employee of the board to give security for the
faithful performance of the officer’s or employee’s duties in such
form and amount as the board determines, and may require at any
time additional bonds and sureties of any officer or employee.
(12) EMPLOYER CONTRIBUTION. The board may make as the
employer agency the contributions to the city retirement system
payable under chapter 396, laws of 1937, in respect to its employees who are members of such system.
(13) EXCHANGE TEACHERS. The board may make an agreement with the managing body of the schools in any city or school
district in the United States or another country for the exchange of
one of the board’s teachers for a teacher of such other city or
school district for a period not exceeding one school year. The
board shall determine the qualifications and compensation of the
teacher rendering service under the agreement in the schools under its jurisdiction, who shall be counted as a regular teacher in
the city in the computation of state and county school aids. The
agreement shall state:
(a) The manner and by whom the salaries of such exchange
teachers shall be paid.
(b) That any teacher regularly employed by the board under
this chapter shall receive credit for the year of exchange teaching
service in the computation of any benefits to which the teacher is
entitled under ch. 40 and the manner in which the monthly reservations shall be paid under ch. 40.
(c) Such other provisions as the board and the other managing
body deem appropriate.
(14) SALES AND CHARGES. The board may establish and
maintain, in any of the schools or playgrounds under its jurisdiction, cafeterias and stores for the sale of schoolbooks, candies, refreshments and supplies. The board also may charge or permit
the making of a charge for admission to any school, social center
or athletic entertainment or activity, under such terms and conditions as the board prescribes.
(15) LEASE SCHOOL PROPERTY. In addition to any other authority, the board may lease school sites, buildings and equipment not needed for school purposes to any person for any lawful
use at a reasonable rental for a term not exceeding 15 years.
(16) GIFTS AND GRANTS. (a) In this subsection, “community
foundation” means a charitable organization, described in section
501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code and exempt from federal
income tax under section 501 (a) of the Internal Revenue Code,
dedicated to encouraging and assisting charitable activities and
enterprises in a designated community in this state and having expertise in finance, fund development, and grantmaking.
(b) The board may receive, accept, and use gifts or grants of
furniture, books, equipment, supplies, moneys, securities, or
other property used or useful for school and educational purposes. The board shall make such use of gifts or grants, or invest
the same in the case of moneys, as the donor or grantor specifies.
In the absence of any specific direction as to the use of such gifts
or grants by a donor or grantor, the board may determine the use
of or may invest the same in accordance with the law applicable
to trust investments, or may, subject to par. (c), transfer any such
gift or grant to a community foundation. In the use, control, or
investment of such gifts or grants, the board may exercise the
rights and powers generally conferred upon trustees.
(c) The board may transfer a gift or grant to a community
foundation only if the board and the community foundation
agree, in writing and at the time of the transfer of the gift or grant,
to each of the following:
1. The community foundation agrees to make disbursements
from and of the gift or grant to the board upon the written request
of the board.
2. Subject to subd. 2m., the board retains control over the
manner in which any disbursement made under subd. 1. is used.
2m. The school board’s use of any disbursement made under
subd. 1. shall be consistent with the intent of the donor of the gift,
bequest, or endowment and with the agreement between the
school board and the community foundation.
3. The board exercises its rights over the use of each disbursement made under subd. 1. in accordance with the law applicable to trust investments.

(17) PURCHASES FROM HOUSE OF CORRECTION. The board
may purchase for use in the schools, from any county in which
the city is located, furniture, furnishings and equipment manufactured in any house of correction under s. 303.16 (1). The board
may waive the furnishing by the county or institution of bid
bonds and performance bonds otherwise required by the statutes
in connection with any such purchase.
(18) COPYRIGHT MATERIALS. The board may copyright under the applicable federal laws any book, pamphlet, bulletin or
record form edited and published by or under the direction of the
board.
(19) FENCES. The board may construct around any schoolhouse or playground site a fence of materials and design approved
by the board.
(20) DIPLOMAS. The board may grant diplomas in testimony
of the completion of high school or special education requirements, including the requirements of special schools established
under s. 119.28.
(21) RULES ON CONDUCT AND DRESS. The board may establish rules pertaining to conduct and dress of pupils in order to
maintain good decorum and a favorable academic atmosphere.
(22) RECORDS CUSTODIAN. On behalf of any school district
authority as defined in s. 19.32 (1), including the board, school
district officers and any subunit of the board or school district,
designate one or more persons to be legal custodians of records.
(23) SCHOOL CLOSINGS. The board may close any school that
it determines is low in performance by adopting a resolution to
that effect. If the superintendent of schools recommends to the
board that a school be closed, he or she shall state the reasons for
the recommendation in writing. If the board closes a school, the
superintendent of schools may reassign the school’s staff members without regard to seniority in service. If the board reopens
the school, the superintendent of schools may reassign staff
members to the school without regard to seniority in service.

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