BCPL Program Areas

School Trust Funds

Graph of financial markets showing the cyclical nature of the markets ups and downs.
BCPL manages four School Trust Funds for its beneficiaries, the largest and most important of which is the Common School Fund. The School Trust Funds are carefully invested to produce strong earnings to support public education. One investment vehicle is the BCPL State Trust Fund Loan Program, which lends money to school districts and municipalities for a wide variety of public purposes.

State Trust Fund Loan Program

Construction progress of a large commercial facility.
State Trust Fund Loan Program - Since , BCPL has invested in loans to municipalities and school districts for public purpose projects including economic development, local infrastructure, capital equipment and vehicles, building repairs and improvements, and refinancing existing liabilities to reduce future borrowing costs.

School Trust Lands

Lake in northern Wisconsin edged by a forest of fall colors.
The School Trust Lands provide revenue through sustainable timber management and are used for hunting, fishing, trapping, protection of water quality and biological diversity, aesthetics and outdoor recreation.

Timber Management

Snow covered wooded scene with several large stacks of saw timber waiting to be picked up and taken to a sawmill.
Timber Management - The Wisconsin Board of Commissioners of Public Lands (BCPL) oversees almost 78,000 acres of School Trust Lands. These lands are managed as a working forest to generate revenue through a sustainable timber harvesting program. Most of these timberlands are in a nine-county area in the northern third of Wisconsin. View a map of school trust land total acreage by countyPDF in a new tab.

Land Records

Arrangement of an example Public Land Survey notebook and map
BCPL maintains an archive of Land Records relating to lands granted to the State of Wisconsin. This archive documents the surveys of State lands, the State’s receipt of the granted lands, the appraisal and management of such lands and finally the subsequent land sales. The records cover land transaction activity since statehood and provide legal documentation of the original land transfers. The archive is a rich source of historical information concerning the settlement of Wisconsin. The majority of these records date from to .

Board Meetings and Documents

Conference Room with long table
Board Meetings and Documents - Since , the Board of Commissioners of Public Lands has consisted of three elected state officers: the Secretary of State, State Treasurer, and Attorney General. View the Current Commissioners and their contact information. The Board meets on the first and third Tuesdays of each month to approve loans and discuss/consider other matters. Additional Board meetings may be scheduled as needed. All meetings are noticed and open to the public.