Recently I had the honor of joining local colleagues from the Wisconsin State Assembly and Senate to formally request that the governor prioritize giving COVID federal education dollars to school districts that have been operating in-person. Our local school boards in Western Wisconsin have put forth a tremendous effort and have worked diligently with their communities to open their classrooms in a safe and effective way. Recognizing this hard work by prioritizing additional funding for these schools would encourage resilience and success for students within our schools during this difficult time.

The $20.8 million that we requested be prioritized for schools that operate in-person was passed by Congress as part of their December Coronavirus Response law. Unfortunately, a larger portion of the first round of federal education funds was allocated to the largest school districts in the state who have not been providing in-person instruction.

“Not only are districts like Milwaukee and Madison receiving a disproportionate amount of the federal funds, but also they are incurring significant utility and transportation savings by not having students in the classroom. According to a survey of districts, Milwaukee and Madison saved millions in the 2019-20 school year because of shutting down due to COVID. This doesn’t include the savings they are accruing from not having to modify and clean classrooms like the schools that are open to in-person instruction.”

There is bipartisan consensus about returning our kids to in-person learning and we are blessed to have teachers and administrators working hard in our area to make that happen. We know that our kids can return to school to continue to learn, and they have. By having our kids back in the classroom, we can minimize the negative effects this pandemic is having on their mental and physical health.

I hope the governor takes this request seriously on behalf of all the students and parents in our area. In the meantime, as the budget process begins, I will continue to support strong funding for our rural schools while also keeping taxes low for our families and businesses.