On Wednesday (6/17) Governor Evers announced his plans to start spending the state’s federal Emergency Coronavirus aid for K-12 schools. The Governor’s Emergency Education Relief (GEER) funds provide Wisconsin with $46 million in federal relief from Congress (CARES Act).
The GEER funds “will prioritize students and districts that have the highest remote learning needs and have been the most significantly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic,” according to the Governor’s official announcement.
The Department of Public Instruction is expected to release information about the use of funds in the coming weeks. Some states are using their GEER funds to administer state-wide programs, rather than directly providing the money to school districts which, would administer aid for private school students. WCRIS has been advocating for the funds to be divided on a per-pupil basis.
However the state uses the funds, federal law requires that if public school districts get GEER funds, the districts have to include the private schools in their plans. The funds are subject to timely and meaningful consultation and must be shared proportionally.
Stay tuned to the WCRIS website for updates.
You can read the Governor’s announcement here.
