Stoughton Area School District board approves DPI waiver to use tiebreaker for top-5/10% admissions

The Stoughton Area School District Board of Education voted to approve a waiver request to the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction that will let the district apply its established tiebreaking criteria to identify students in the top 5% and top 10% of the graduating class for guaranteed admission to University of Wisconsin institutions.

A district staff member explained the waiver is needed because Act 95 and related guidance require GPA as the primary admission metric but do not by themselves provide a tiebreaking mechanism. The district said using its familiar academic-excellence criteria prevents "over-sending" students for guaranteed-admission slots when multiple students have identical GPAs. "We would like to apply for a waiver for Act 95 so that we can use our tiebreaking criteria to help determine students who are in the top five and 10% of our senior class," the staff member said.

Board members asked how the Department of Public Instruction and the universities interact on admissions. A district speaker said DPI administers the waiver process while universities (including University of Wisconsin
dampus partners) handle admission decisions, creating a need for the district to secure a waiver to remain in compliance and to ensure accurate reporting to postsecondary institutions.

The motion to approve the waiver was moved and seconded; Miss Allison Sorg seconded the motion. The board voted in favor and the motion carried.

The board did not record a roll-call tally for the waiver vote during the meeting minutes other than the chair announcing the motion carried. The district said it uses the same tiebreaking criteria for its academic-excellence scholarships and that the criteria are known to the community. The board requested no additional immediate action; next steps will be staff submission of the waiver application to DPI.

What happens next: staff will submit the waiver application to the Department of Public Instruction. The board did not set a follow-up date at the meeting.