Back in 2023, $50 million was allocated to fund mandated changes to how Wisconsin children learn to read, but the funds have never been released, thanks to legal arguments over the reading legislation.
The money has been tied up as the legislature awaits oral arguments and a decision by the state supreme court over whether the governor had the authority to strike funding for school boards and charter school compliance from the law.
As that ruling won’t come by the end of the fiscal year, the funds will go back into the state’s massive surplus, State Representative Joel Kitchens (R-Sturgeon Bay) confirmed to Wisconsin Public Radio.
Kitchens, who co-authored the reading law known as Act 20, had hoped to introduce a bill that would release the money for reading before June 30.
Attorney General Josh Kaul has asked the high court to bypass the appellate court and rule on the matter. The supreme court has agreed to hear the Act 20 case but has not yet scheduled oral arguments.
State Superintendent Jill Underly said school districts committed to transforming how students learn to read with the understanding that the state legislature would contribute $50 million to support those efforts. “This delay is an outright betrayal of our students and a failure of leadership,” Underly said. “Legislative leaders have let down both our children and our schools. I don’t want to hear another elected official complaining about literacy outcomes—they have no one to blame but themselves.”
