Gov. Evers, DWD announce $1M in funding for teacher training recruitment

MADISON, Wis. (CBS 58) -- Gov. Tony Evers on Monday, Feb. 14, together with Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development (DWD) Secretary-designee Amy Pechacek, announced $1 million in funding for the Teacher Training and Recruitment Grant program.

According to a news release, the grants are being made available through DWD’s Expanded Wisconsin Fast Forward (WFF) program, and Wisconsin nonprofit organizations can apply for up to $500,000 to recruit, train, and license teachers to meet the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction guidelines for serving low-income and/or urban area school districts.

“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,” said Gov. Evers. “Our K-12 schools are among the best in the country, and I’m glad to be providing more resources to bring the best and brightest educators into our classrooms.”

The news release says, Gov. Evers first proposed expanding funding for this program in his 2019-21 biennial budget proposal, which provided $1.2 million over the biennium to triple the size of continuing grants to qualified teachers in high-poverty urban schools and double the size of the continuing grant for teachers at high-poverty schools throughout the state. The provision was rejected by the Republicans in the Legislature and removed from the final budget.

“Wisconsin students, no matter who they are or where they live, have the right to quality education,” said DWD Secretary-designee Pechacek. “Investing in our teachers so that they can provide high-quality education is an investment in both our current workforce and future workforce generations.”

In 2020, two awards were given through this Teacher Training and Recruitment Grant program. DWD granted $500,000 to City Forward Collective for the recruitment, training, and mentoring of 140 new teachers in the city of Milwaukee, and funds were used to expand the innovative and successful Emerging Educators program piloted by Milwaukee Public Schools. Paraprofessionals currently working in urban schools serving low-income students completed degrees and teacher certification at Alverno College, Concordia University, or Viterbo University.

DWD also granted $499,850 to the Urban League of Greater Madison in support of the Urban Educator Pipeline program. In partnership with the Madison Metropolitan School District and Verona Area School District, the Urban League of Greater Madison used grant funding to recruit, train, coach, and place 32 newly licensed teachers. The program focused on recruiting teachers in the high-need area of special education and English Learner/bilingual education. While teaching, recruits of the program earned credits toward their licensure at either the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Education or Edgewood College.

Under the WFF program, the funds are only available to tax exempt 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4) nonprofit organizations. Applications are due by 3 p.m. CST on Fri., March 4, 2022.

For additional information or to download an application, please consult the Grant Program Announcement and related grant program materials available here.