Green Bay Reporter

Gov. Tony Evers and the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development (DWD) have recently confirmed an additional $1 million in funding for the Teacher Training and Recruitment Grant Program, according to a press release from the Office of the Governor.

The funds will be made available through the DWD's Expanded Wisconsin Fast Forward program, allowing nonprofits to apply for up to $500,000 for the training and licensing of new teachers within the state's Department of Public Instruction guidelines, according to a WKOW report.

“I’ve always said that what’s best for our kids is what’s best for our state and that’s why we have prioritized providing resources to our educators and our schools to ensure every kid in every community has access to a quality public education,” Evers said in the release.

Additionally, the training is designed for instructors who work in low-income and urban areas.

“Investing in our teachers so that they can provide high-quality education is an investment in both our current workforce and future workforce generations,” DWD Secretary-designee Amy Pechacek stated in the press release.

Evers first proposed to include this funding in the 2019-21 biennial budget, which provided $1.2 million to support continuing grants to teachers in high-poverty schools across the state.

Republicans in the Legislature, however, voted against the provision and it was omitted from the final budget.

“Wisconsin students, no matter who they are or where they live, have the right to quality education,” Pechacek stated.

The program has already provided two grants of approximately $500,000 in 2020, one to the Milwaukee-based City Forward Collective and another to the Urban League of Greater Madison.

The funds provided to the City Forward Collective resulted in the training of 140 new teachers, while the funds granted to the Urban League of Greater Madison resulted in the training of 32 new teachers.

The deadline for submissions for this round of funding is March 4.