An editorial from the Wisconsin State Journal…
“Wisconsin ranks near the bottom of states — 45th out of 50 — in harnessing money from Uncle Sam, according to The Pew Charitable Trusts.
“So why is the Republican-run Legislature — again — risking if not snubbing federal dollars from Washington that taxpayers here deserve, given all the money Wisconsin citizens pay the IRS?
Wisconsin schools could lose out on at least $1.5 billion (and possibly as much as $2.4 billion) in one-time COVID relief funds if state lawmakers do not revisit the state K-12 education budget and increase state funding.
What would happen to those federal relief funds if Wisconsin fails to qualify? The funding would revert to the federal government and be reallocated to other states that DO qualify to receive the funds. (more…)
From Wisconsin State Journal, “The U.S. Department of Education on Friday warned Wisconsin that Republicans’ proposed $350 million for the state’s rainy day fund won’t help qualify it for $1.5 billion in federal stimulus funds for education the GOP budget already puts the state at risk of losing out on.
“Republican members of the Legislature’s budget committee on Thursday voted to advance a K-12 education plan that would fund just 10%, or $128 million, of the $1.6 billion sought by Democratic Gov. Tony Evers. They also voted to put $350 million into the state’s budget stabilization fund to “maintain education funding stability in the future,” although that fund can be tapped for any purpose so there’s no guarantee those dollars would end up going to schools. (more…)
Yesterday (5/10), the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) unanimously adopted final rules to implement the Emergency Connectivity Fund (ECF) Program.
The ECF program was created through the recent passage of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA). This legislation provides $7.17 billion to help students struggling with the Homework Gap, the term that commonly refers to the education digital divide that impacts millions of students who lack adequate internet and broadband connectivity when they are at home or working remotely elsewhere. (more…)
The Joint Finance Committee (JFC) met last Thursday and took executive action to remove more than 380 items from the Governor’s proposed budget.
The JFC actions also reduce anticipated federal revenues to the state by $2.4 billion over the next biennium. Those potential dollars were principally associated with Medicaid expansion. The JFC’s actions also nixed roughly $1 billion in tax increases the governor had proposed. One consequence of these combined actions is that they potentially reduce the amount of revenue the state has available to fund increases in K-12 school funding.
Here’s a look at a few of the specific consequences of the JFC’s actions: (more…)
As we reported in an earlier blog post, Wisconsin is receiving $175 million in federal funding to implement testing programs in schools.
The first phase of this testing program will include options for schools to begin conducting tests in Spring and Summer 2021. Future phases will expand testing options and supports available to schools in Fall 2021 and during the 2021-22 school year.
To provide school leaders with information about getting schools certified to become part of these new COVID-19 testing opportunities, the DPI and the state Department of Health Services will be conducting a webinar today (Friday, April 23) from 1:00-2:00 p.m.
Advance registration is required to receive the Zoom link and call-in information. You can register here.