Appleton-area school districts will get an extra $4 million in federal funds from Gov. Tony Evers
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Fox Cities schools will get $4 million of the $90 million of federal pandemic funding Gov. Tony Evers is allocating for Wisconsin schools over the next four years.
Evers said the funds are aimed at helping school officials recruit and retain teachers, to combat staff shortages that have emerged since the coronavirus pandemic began in early 2020.
Neenah Joint School District Superintendent Mary Pfeiffer said she's thankful these dollars will support not only the district's needs, but the mental health issues students face.
"These additional dollars are very timely, given the continued hardship faced by students needing additional support as they return to school," she said.
She said she appreciates Evers recognizing the need for school funding and hopes "public education will be a priority" in the state's next biennial budget.
Holly Burr, Appleton Area School District executive director of finance, also said the money will help with some of the district's needs, such as increased demand for mental health services, inflationary increases and the costs of recruiting and retaining quality staff.
Here's a closer look at what each district in the Fox Cities will receive, using numbers listed in the news release from the governor's office.
Appleton Area School District: $1,512,041
Hortonville Area School District: $424,662
Kaukauna Area School District: $495,149
Kimberly Area School District: $500,866
Little Chute Area School District: $138,363
Menasha Joint School District: $371,589
Neenah Joint School District: $719,275
About 15% of what each district receives is to be used for school-based mental health supports, such as hiring and supporting mental health navigators — people who help families find mental health care — and providing mental health first aid and trauma-based care training, according to the plan.
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The rest of the money can be used on staff or to address rising costs of supplies or busing students due to inflation.
"Yes, they are federal funds, I understand that, but until there is a (state) budget, we need to make sure that the people that stand behind me can do the good work," the Democratic governor said at a news conference at Leopold Elementary School in Madison. Evers, the former state superintendent and a former public school educator, is running for a second term as governor.
The funds announced Tuesday come from the federal American Rescue Plan Act and will be distributed to public school districts and independent charter schools on a per-student basis. The funding amounts to about an extra $91 per student on top of funding schools receive through the state's funding formula, according to the governor's office.
Molly Beck of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel contributed to this report.
Reach AnnMarie Hilton at ahilton@gannett.com or 920-370-8045. Follow her on Twitter at @hilton_annmarie.
This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: Appleton-area school districts to receive $4 million from Evers plan
