In keeping with the theme of getting all K-12 students back to in-person instruction, and foreshadowing a potential preview of how state funds might be allocated to schools in a legislative budget counter-proposal, numerous key GOP legislators have sent a letter to Gov. Evers asking him to prioritize federal funding for districts with full-time in-person instruction over those providing instruction in a virtual or hybrid format. The letter was signed by 52 GOP lawmakers including nearly every GOP member of the Joint Finance Committee.
Specifically, the letter references $20.8 million allotted by Congress as Wisconsin’s portion of Governor’s Emergency Education Relief (GEER) funds provided under the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (CRRSA) of 2021. The lawmakers write:
“In the first GEER round of awards, you allowed a significant portion of these funds to go to
districts that have provided little, to no in-person instruction during the 2020-21 school year.
Don’t make the same mistake twice.”
“We are asking you to direct these funds to districts that have been providing full-time, in-person
instruction since the beginning of the 2020-21 school year. These districts have been spending
more to keep their schools open for the betterment of their students. They know that this is the
best for the students and families of their districts.”
