Wisconsin Right Now

Public schools in Wisconsin have nine months left before the last of their COVID-19 relief cash expires, and there’s hundreds of millions of dollars still on the table. The Institute for Reforming Government has been tracking Wisconsin’s $1.5 billion in COVID relief money. Their latest update shows that $307 million of that haul remains unallocated. “Before districts spend money, they are supposed to get DPI’s approval. DPI confirms whether their allocations qualify for ESSER III reimbursement. So, districts either lack DPI approval for $307 million or are spending money without DPI approval with no guarantee of reimbursement,” IRG said in its report. “Thirty-nine districts have below 50% allocated, including Green Bay and West Bend. Thirty-five districts have over $1 million left to allocate, including Milwaukee and Fond Du Lac. Eight districts are at $0 allocated.” IRG first sounded the alarm about unallocated COVID cash in February. At that point , Wisconsin schools were s...

“As it stands, MPS has nearly $19,000 per student. This doesn't even take into account the increases Gov. [Tony] Evers has set the district up for the next 400 years with his partial veto last year.  Milwaukee taxpayers should carefully evaluate whether a district achieving less than 20% proficiency in reading and math should be rewarded with even more funding” -Will Flanders of Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty Milwaukee Public Schools are going back to taxpayers for a quarter-billion dollars. The city’s school board voted Thursday night to put a $259 million tax hike request on the April ballot. MPS leaders say they need more money to maintain operations and keep up with rising costs. "We can’t let our public school system fail," MPS Board vice president Jilly Gokalgandhi told the board. "How many years are we supposed to keep getting kicked in the face?" board president Marva Herndon asked. The tax hike request comes after state lawmakers...

Children in schools across the country are a step closer to finding chocolate milk in their school lunchrooms. Republican Congressman Tom Tiffany says his chocolate milk protection plan cleared the House. The plan, which would stop the Biden administration from banning chocolate milk in schools, is part of House Resolution 1147, the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act of 2023. The ban on flavored milk for school children out of a concern for too much sugar was proposed in February. Tiffany said getting rid of chocolate milk would likely lead to fewer youngsters drinking milk. Tiffany cited the Journal of the American Dietetic Association in saying removing flavored milk from schools would result in a 62% to 63% reduction in milk consumption by kids in kindergarten through fifth grade, and a 50% reduction in sixth through eighth grades. His chocolate milk protection plan would also protect strawberry milk. “Some may ask why we are focusing on this issue," Tiffany said. ...

Milwaukee Public Schools are now requiring students to apply for college financial aid before they can graduate from high school, but critics say the city’s schools should worry about basic reading and writing before leaders worry about college. MPS made Free Application for Federal Student Aid applications mandatory this month, and Milwaukee leaders celebrated the policy with news conferences this week. "I want every single young person in Milwaukee to be ambitious, to have big dreams," Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson said. "I want them to take the steps that can lead to success. And filling out the FAFSA is an important part of that." MPS says about 50% of Milwaukee students applied for federal financial aid last year. Only about a third of 2020 graduates enrolled in college. Heather Smith, a policy director at the MacIver Institute told The Center Square that MPS’ numbers are worse than that. “[Newly released] numbers show that in MPS, 84% of students ...

Schools across Wisconsin are getting millions of new dollars to help them afford school lunches during “supply chain challenges.” The state’s Department of Public Instruction this week announced the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is sending Wisconsin $17 million to supplement the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program. “School food authorities are facing extraordinary challenges in responding to shortages and price fluctuations, and this funding will immediately help nutrition programs across Wisconsin serve the students who rely on these meals every day,” Superintendent Jill Underly said in a statement. Wisconsin School Lunch Money Every eligible school district in the state, as well as eligible private schools, will get a guaranteed base payment of at least $5,000. Many schools will see more money. Brett Healy, president at the MacIver Institute , said it is telling that the Biden Administration is having to spend more money to solve a problem it ...