WCRIS appealed to legislators for help with effectively using federal pandemic relief funds, specifically EANS funds, during a joint meeting today of the Wisconsin Senate and Assembly Education Committees.
The funds are so restricted by Congress that they are virtually useless for solving real problems created by COVID 19 and for addressing the behavior guidelines required to keep students and staff safe, WCRIS Executive Director Sharon Schmeling told legislators.
After hearing WCRIS’s testimony, Rep. Chuck Wichgers asked DPI how our problem could be addressed. DPI staff responded that the funds belonged to the Governor and were controlled by rules set by Congress.
For that reason, WCRIS will be appealing to the state legislature’s Joint Finance Committee to replace the federal funds with state tax dollars, which are less restrictive. See WCRIS’ testimony here, which will be delivered to the committee tomorrow, at its first budget hearing of the year.
