Wisconsin Statutes

Wis. Stat. § 121.55 (2026)

Methods of providing transportation

✓ current as of July 2026

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121.55121.55 Methods of providing transportation.

121.55(1)(1) School boards may provide transportation by any of the following methods:

121.55(1)(a)(a) By contract with a common carrier, a taxi company or other parties.

121.55(1)(b)(b) By contract with the parent or guardian of the pupil to be transported. If the school board and the parent or guardian cannot agree upon the amount of compensation, the department shall determine the amount of compensation to be designated in the contract.

121.55(1)(c)(c) By contract with another school board, board of control of a cooperative educational service agency or the proper officials of any private school or private school association.

121.55(1)(d)(d) By contract between 2 or more school boards and an individual or a common carrier.

121.55(1)(e)(e) By the purchase and operation of a motor vehicle.

121.55(3)(3)

121.55(3)(a)(a) If the estimated cost of transporting a pupil under s. 121.54 (2) (b) 1. is more than 1.5 times the school district’s average cost per pupil for bus transportation in the previous year, exclusive of transportation for kindergarten pupils during the noon hour and for pupils with disabilities, the school board may fulfill its obligation to transport a pupil under s. 121.54 (2) (b) 1. by offering to contract with the parent or guardian of the pupil. Except as provided in pars. (b) and (c), the contract shall provide for an annual payment for each pupil of not less than $5 times the distance in miles between the pupil’s residence and the private school he or she attends, or the school district’s average cost per pupil for bus transportation in the previous year exclusive of transportation for kindergarten pupils during the noon hour and for pupils with disabilities, whichever is greater.

121.55(3)(b)(b) Except as provided in par. (c), if 2 or more pupils reside in the same household and attend the same private school, the contract under par. (a) may, at the discretion of the school board of the school district operating under ch. 119, provide for a total annual payment for all such pupils of not less than $5 times the distance in miles between the pupils’ residence and the private school they attend, or the school district’s average cost per pupil for bus transportation in the previous year exclusive of transportation for kindergarten pupils during the noon hour and for pupils with disabilities, whichever is greater.

121.55(3)(c)(c) The payment under this subsection shall not exceed the actual cost nor may the aids paid under s. 121.58 (2) (a) for the pupil exceed the cost thereof. A school board which intends to offer a contract under par. (a) shall notify the parent or guardian of the private school pupil of its intention at least 30 days before the commencement of the school term of the public school district.

121.55 HistoryHistory: 1979 c. 34, 221; 1981 c. 263; 1983 a. 264; 1997 a. 164; 2009 a. 28.

121.55 Cross-referenceCross-reference: See also ch. PI 7, Wis. adm. code.

121.55 AnnotationNotice under sub. (3) only must be given to parents if the school board seeks to use the reduced formula under sub. (3) and not when the standard parental contract method under sub. (1) is pursued. Providence Catholic School v. Bristol School District No. 1, 231 Wis. 2d 159, 605 N.W.2d 238 (Ct. App. 1999), 98-3390.

Notes of Decisions

Cited in 6 cases (1 in the last 5 years), 1983–2021 · leading case: Providence Catholic Sch. v. Bristol Sch. Dist. No. 1, 605 N.W.2d 238 (Wis. Ct. App. 1999).

Sort: Relevance Newest Treatment

Providence Catholic Sch. v. Bristol Sch. Dist. No. 1, 605 N.W.2d 238 (Wis. Ct. App. 1999). · cites it 27× “The PSDs find support for this argument in § 121.55, Stats. Section 121.55(l)(b) states: "If the school board and the [contracting] parent or guardian cannot agree upon the amount of compensation, the [DPI] shall determine the amount of compensation to be designated in the…”

St. Joan Antida High Sch. In v. Milwaukee Pub. Sch. Distri, 919 F.3d 1003 (7th Cir. 2019). · cites it 2× “See Wis. Stat. § 121.55 . These tasks all require MPS to have the stu‐ dents’ information well in advance of the school year.”

St. John Vianney Sch. v. Bd. of Educ. of Sch. Dist. of Janesville, 336 N.W.2d 387 (Wis. Ct. App. 1983). · cites it 3× “55 preclude a school board from providing transportation, required or optional, by any combination of the approved transportation methods.”

St. Augustine Sch. v. Tony Evers, 906 F.3d 591 (7th Cir. 2018). · cites it 2× “Wis. Stat. § 121.55 (1)(b). Although not pertinent here (because it was not a factor on which the Superintendent relied), we note that St.”

St. Augustine Sch. v. Carolyn Stanford Taylor, 2021 WI 70 (Wis. 2021). · cites it 3× “Wis. Stat. § 121.55 (1). 3 No. 2021AP265-CQ.”

St. Joan Antida High Sch. In v. Milwaukee Pub. Sch. Distri (7th Cir. 2019). “See Wis. Stat. § 121.55 . These tasks all require MPS to have the stu‐ dents’ information well in advance of the school year.”

— Wis. Stat. § 121.55(1) — 2 cases

Providence Catholic Sch. v. Bristol Sch. Dist. No. 1, 605 N.W.2d 238 (Wis. Ct. App. 1999). “The PSDs find support for this argument in § 121.55, Stats. Section 121.55(l)(b) states: "If the school board and the [contracting] parent or guardian cannot agree upon the amount of compensation, the [DPI] shall determine the amount of compensation to be designated in the…”

St. John Vianney Sch. v. Bd. of Educ. of Sch. Dist. of Janesville, 336 N.W.2d 387 (Wis. Ct. App. 1983). “55 preclude a school board from providing transportation, required or optional, by any combination of the approved transportation methods.”

— Wis. Stat. § 121.55(3) — 1 case

— Wis. Stat. § 121.55(l)(b) — 1 case

Annotations are extracted automatically from the opinions in the Syfert caselaw corpus and ranked by authority, recency, and treatment. Dots show Syfertize treatment of the citing case itself.