Evers announces more than $80 million for K-12 schools, higher education to help with COVID-19

More than $80 million is heading to Wisconsin schools and higher education institutions to help with challenges related to COVID-19, Gov. Tony Evers announced Wednesday.

The $46.6 million for kindergarten through 12th-grade schools will come from the Governor’s Emergency Education Relief Fund, established under the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act.

It’ll head first to students and districts with the highest remote learning needs and those most significantly affected by the pandemic. The Department of Public Instruction will be providing additional information about the funding process.

“I am hopeful this funding can help alleviate expenses already incurred and further creative efforts to transition between in-person learning and distance learning seamlessly as we prepare for the upcoming fall semester and continue to fight COVID-19 in Wisconsin,” Evers said in a statement.

The $37 million for higher education institutions will come out of funding provided directly to Wisconsin under the CARES Act. The state can use that money to reimburse necessary, unbudgeted spending made in response to the pandemic.

Wisconsin tribal colleges will receive $2 million in funding, with the remaining money heading to the University of Wisconsin System, technical colleges and private and nonprofit institutions throughout the state.

According to a breakdown, $18.9 million will head to University of Wisconsin System campuses, with the rest split between technical colleges and private universities.

The money is in addition to the more than $354 million already received by K-12 schools and higher education institutions through the CARES Act, according to the statement.

On Wednesday, UW-Madison and UW-Milwaukee announced their plans for reopening, which includes offering a mix of small in-person classes, large lectures online and hybrid classes.

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