SUMMARY: IRG’S ESSER RELIEF AUDIT - MAY 31, 2023 DATA

By releasing this information to the public and lawmakers, IRG hopes to inform parents and taxpayers, to highlight successes and failures in school allocations, to hold the Department of Public Instruction accountable for children’s futures, and to have influenced state budget discussions. [...] This makes it difficult to assess whether Wisconsin funds “help safely reopen and sustain the safe operation of schools and address the impacts of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic on the Nation's students by addressing students' academic, social, emotional, and mental health needs.” HOW DID IRG CALCULATE ESSER ALLOCATIONS? IRG wants to put kids first and to encourage oversight on important pr. [...] o Of the 10 districts with the lowest reading scores in 2022, 3 met the 66.7% standard. [...] • Districts allocated the most money to construction, the least likely thing to help students recover. [...] • Voucher schools suffered during the pandemic and will recover better with higher per pupil amounts from the Legislature and Governor to make up for receiving -$1,000 less per pupil in the last round of pandemic aid.