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Wisconsin school districts can expect at least a $2.2 billion boost from federal stimulus legislation, “a windfall that could make budgeting in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic considerably easier,” Riley Vetterkind reports for the Wisconsin State Journal.
School district shares largely depend on their enrollment of low-income students. Some Wisconsin Republicans call the uneven distribution of those funds unfair, suggesting the issue could factor into how lawmakers scrutinize Gov. Tony Evers’ budget proposal to boost school funding by $1.6 billion, Shawn Johnson and Laurel White report for WPR.
Carolyn Stanford Taylor, the outgoing superintendent of public instruction, says the stimulus would address temporary problems related to the pandemic and that those dollars wouldn’t cover initiatives outlined in Evers’ broader education budget, Johnson and White report.
Top Stories
Wisconsin school districts set to receive at least $2.2 billion in federal stimulus aid — Wisconsin State Journal
GOP lawmakers press Wisconsin schools chief on federal relief funds — WPR
A third of COVID survivors suffer neurological or mental disorders: study — Reuters
Congress shoveled out billions to boost contact tracing. It may have come too late. — POLITICO
Causey: I got vaccinated, but my wife may not. Let me tell you why I changed my mind on this. — Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Menomonee Falls family flies to Hawaii, gets off plane and finds out they have wrong COVID-19 test — TMJ4 News
UW Health partners with community orgs to vaccinate vulnerable populations — Madison365
Study finds Black women are dying from COVID-19 at three times the rate of both White and Asian men — The 19th
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Quotable
“Know that by returning to class, we are doing the right thing for our kids. Teaching our children is arguably the most important thing that our society does. Let’s take pride in getting back to how we do that best.”
Dr. Bryan Johnston is a family physician in Milwaukee, writing for Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Data to note
Here’s a look at the Department of Health Services’ vaccine dashboard, which showed Wednesday that 77.1% of Wisconsinites ages 65 and older have gotten at least one dose — as have 34.1% of the state’s overall population. Some 21.1% of Wisconsinites are fully vaccinated. Racial disparities persist in distributing vaccines. The shares of Black, Hispanic and Native American residents to receive a dose remain below that of white residents.
Public health officials continue to urge Wisconsinites to wear masks and practice physical distancing until vaccinations are more widely distributed. On Wednesday, the state DHS reported 727 new cases. The state also reported five new COVID-19 deaths, pushing the full toll to 6,653.
WisContext offers this visualization.
Find a vaccine site near you
DHS has this interactive map of vaccine providers across Wisconsin. Vaccinations are generally by appointment only and it may take time to schedule appointments with providers due to limited supplies of vaccines. Curious about how well your county is doing on vaccinations? The Washington Post created this searchable map.
Resilient Wisconsin
People helping others and showing resilience during this time of anxiety. Send suggestions by tagging us on social media — @wisconsinwatch — or emailing us: tips@wisconsinwatch.org.
Chef/owner grateful to be reopening; ‘If L’Etoile closes, that’s a situation’ — Wisconsin State Journal
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