Madison–State Representative Mark Born (R-Beaver Dam) and Senator Howard Marklein (R-Spring Green), Co-Chairs of the Joint Committee on Finance, released the following statement following an analyses by the nonpartisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau of the federal funding received for school districts under federal coronavirus aid:
“School districts across the state have received significant resources to keep students and staff safe and to open full-time, in person instruction,” Rep. Born said. “We know it is best for kids to be in the classroom and we also know that the resources are there to do it.”
“This data also shows there are wide disparities in funding provided by district,” Rep. Born said. “We have districts getting over $10,000 per pupil and others getting a few hundred dollars per pupil. The way that Congress distributed these funds does not treat students equally in Wisconsin.”
“Many school districts have dedicated significant resources and efforts to teach our kids safely and effectively,” Sen. Marklein said. “Yet, some of those schools are receiving significantly less than schools that are closed for in-person learning. This formula is not providing aid where it should.”
The analysis shows that schools have shared in $2.2 billion in federal funding or $2,669 per pupil thus far. These funds do not include roughly $200 million in additional funds, some of which are discretionary, that will be provided to districts in the future.
