Wisconsin school districts will have to cover the cost of the Course Options program next year after the University of Wisconsin System announced it will no longer fund it.

The Course Options dual enrollment program enables Wisconsin school districts to partner with UW System schools and offer college classes and credit to high school students, Perry Hibner, spokesperson for the Middleton-Cross Plains Area School District said. If the student gets a B or better, they receive college credit.

The Madison School District does not participate in the Course Options program, according to the Wisconsin State Journal.

Parents paid for the program until 2013, Hibner said. In 2014, a law placed its fiscal responsibility on school districts, he said.

UW System spokesperson Alex Hummel said the system stepped in to help districts by paying for the whole program for one year as a temporary solution.

UW System president Ray Cross said in a letter that it was unsustainable for UW System to continue paying for the program. He said a big reason for this was Gov. Scott Walker’s proposed $300 million cut to UW System in the upcoming biennium budget.

Cross said the plan for the UW System to stop its funding and require school districts to fund Course Options is a one-year program. He said the long-term solution is to amend the legislation and have parents pay for the program.

Hibner said the amount each district has to pay for Course Options varies between the districts. Middleton Cross-Plains School District pays up $350,000 for the program, Hibner said. He said this may lead to some districts ending the program altogether.

“So in the long run, it’s a big loss for everybody,” Hibner said.

Many schools in the UW System and their partner school districts are working through new agreements that make the program more affordable for districts, Hummel said.

Hibner said the Middleton-Cross Plains Area District has worked with UW-Oshkosh to receive an 80 percent discount on the program for the next school year.

The program has helped students save money on college tuition as the credits they earn give them a higher standing when they enter college and reduce time to graduation, Hibner said.

Hummel said the program has been effective in thousands of students’ educations and has given them a head start in life. ​

“It’s a proven success story and it’s just a matter of finding a way to keep us all committed to finding a sustainable funding source,” Hummel said.

Sen. Paul Farrow, R-Pewaukee, said the program allows students to experiment and know what they want to pursue in the future before they invest their money in college. This way, they do not go into debt, he said.

Farrow is planning to propose a bill that would set up categorical aid, which is acquired through state funds and taxes, to finance special educational programs. This funding will help districts pay for the Course Options program and other educational programs.

If proposed, Farrow said he wants to include it in the K-12 education part of the state budget.

“We’ve got to come up with a more sustainable way to continue this program and that is what we are going to propose through the bill,” Farrow said.

Correction: The story previously misstated the cost the districts would have to pay for the program. The Badger Herald regrets this error.