Public School Libraries Across Wisconsin to See Highest-Ever Funding Levels Next Year

Wednesday, November 22nd, 2023 -- 11:01 AM

(Sarah Lehr, Wisconsin Public Radio) Public school libraries across Wisconsin will see their highest-ever funding levels next year from their share of a dedicated statewide fund.

According to Sarah Lehr with the Wisconsin Public Radio, districts will get $65 million total from Wisconsin's Common School Fund, state officials announced Monday. That's a 25 percent increase compared to the fund's $52 million disbursement in 2023, a previous record high.

"What an incredible investment this is in our schools in Wisconsin," said Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul, who sits on a board that manages the fund. "This is not something that can be passed off as a one-time increase based on market fluctuations."

Districts can spend the money on library materials ranging from books to computers to Wi-Fi hot spots. For more than 90 percent of Wisconsin schools, those dollars are the sole funding source for libraries, according to the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.

"Educators in most districts tell me it's the only funding the school library receives and, without the funds, they fear their libraries may close," said Peggy Wirtz-Olsen, who leads the Wisconsin Education Association Council, a union representing educators including teachers and library media specialists.

"Wisconsin public school educators celebrate today's announcement for the record setting investment and the support it signals to parents and teachers." Wisconsin's Board of Public Land Commissioners oversees the Common School Fund, which was created more than a century ago using proceeds from the sale of public lands.

Wisconsin's Constitution requires that the money is used to support public schools.

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