Feds warn Wisconsin it may lose $1.5 billion in school aid

MADISON, Wis. (AP) - The U.S. Department of Education is warning Wisconsin’s state superintendent of schools that the state could be in jeopardy of losing $1.5 billion in federal funding if a Republican education plan becomes law.

The Legislature’s Republican-controlled budget committee on Thursday approved spending about $128 million in state dollars on education and putting aside $350 million into a fund that could be used later for education expenses or anything else.

But the DOE warns that unless that money is spent on education, it could jeopardize the $1.5 billion sent to Wisconsin under the federal coronavirus aid bill.

The federal coronavirus relief bill enacted by Congress in March requires the state to spend $387 million more over two years on education in order for Wisconsin to keep $1.5 billion in aid.