Here's how much Green Bay-area districts will get from the $90 million Gov. Evers added to school funding
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GREEN BAY – The Green Bay School District will receive over $2.1 million in additional federal funding, including more money to address student mental health needs, as part of a boost in Wisconsin school aid that Gov. Tony Evers announced Tuesday.
Other Brown County school districts will also get more money, which is being allocated based on student enrollment numbers.
Evers' announcement comes as school is about to start in Wisconsin and districts statewide are working to fill open teaching positions and navigate other staffing shortages.
Most of the $90 million in additional spending statewide, $75 million, will go directly to districts to offset some of the financial challenges facing schools as a result of frozen revenue limits, inflation and increased student needs caused by COVID-19.
MORE: Gov. Tony Evers directs $90 million more in federal funds to schools
Districts will get an additional $91 per student, which can be used over several school years, according to the news release from the governor's office. It can go toward retaining and recruiting staff, mitigating rising costs due to inflation, offsetting school transportation costs and providing direct classroom support for students.
Mike Juech, assistant superintendent of operations for the Howard-Suamico School District, said that while the money will help support their operations in the face of inflation, it's not an annual increase.
"There's a larger conversation that needs to happen around the school funding and the school funding formula," he said. "It is one-time money and that makes it challenging to have sustainable impact."
The other $15 million will go toward the Get Kids Ahead Initiative, which provides mental health services in public schools. The funding can be put toward hiring mental health professionals and mental health first aid and trauma-based care training.
This mental health funding is in addition to the governor's initial investment of $15 million into the program, meaning districts will get a second round of funding to provide mental health services.
Howard-Suamico has hired additional staff and partnered with community organizations to provide mental health services for students with the first round of the Get Kids Ahead Initiative funding, Juech said. This second round will help the district keep those services going.
"I think as a society, we need to make sure we're supporting our young people and that goes in all areas, both academically and emotionally as well," he said.
Every district that opts into the initiative receives a minimum $20,000 and additional funding allocated on a per-student basis.
The funding will be allocated to districts in the coming weeks, according to the release.
Here is how much Green Bay-area districts will receive:
This is how much money districts are expected to receive from the governor's allocation of federal pandemic relief dollars and how much additional funding they will receive for mental health services. The first and second rounds of funding for the Get Kids Ahead Initiative are the same.
Green Bay School District
Additional federal funding: $1,889,813
Second round of mental health funding: $285,279
Ashwaubenon School District
Additional federal funding: $198,889
Second round of mental health funding: $38,984
De Pere School District
Additional federal funding: $372,165
Second round of mental health funding: $64,271
Howard-Suamico School District
Additional federal funding: $501,325
Second round of mental health funding: $82,965
Pulaski School District
Additional federal funding: $355,120
Second round of mental health funding: $61,626
West De Pere School District
Additional federal funding: $344,182
Second round of mental health funding: $60,190
Danielle DuClos covers K-12 education in the Green Bay area as a Report for America corps member. She is based at the Press-Gazette in Green Bay. To contact her, email dduclos@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @danielle_duclos.
This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Green Bay area schools get part of $90 million announced by Gov. Evers
