WiRSA (Wisconsin Rural Schools Alliance)
Strong Schools - Strong Communities
WiRSA Student Teacher Scholarships!
Please share this with your 2nd-semester student teachers
The WiRSA student teacher scholarship is awarded each fall and spring to one student teacher from each of the four membership regions of Wisconsin, as specified in the organization’s bylaws.
WiRSA Website Student-Teacher Scholarship Link
Due Date:
Monday, January 24, 2026
Each recipient will receive a one-time cash scholarship of $750 to be used by the student to help defray the costs while student teaching and related expenses. A written essay for each question is required for the application. (Two page limit - Uploaded in the Google Form)
Google Form Information
Essay Question - Why do you want to teach in a rural school?
Essay Question - What impact can you have on rural students?
Any of the following: Work Related Information, Extra-Curricular Involvement, Special Honors, Awards or Recognitions Received.
Scholarship - Google Submission Form
The Assembly Committee on Education will have a public hearing at 1:00 pm, Wednesday, Dec 17, in 417 North (GAR Hall)
AB-109 Teaching License (Special Committee on State-Tribal Relations) A lifetime license that authorizes an individual to teach an American Indian language in an American Indian language program and modifying rules promulgated by the Department of Public Instruction.
AB-391 School Revenue Limits (Maxey, Dave) The per pupil adjustment for school district revenue limits.
AB-710 Wisconsin Shares (Mursau, Jeff) Wisconsin Shares payments to tribal-regulated child care providers.
AB-749 Organ and Blood Donation (Franklin, Benjamin) Instruction in blood and organ donation in high school grades.
You'll pay more in property taxes. Thank Wisconsin lawmakers | Opinion
Lawmakers provided $0 in new general school aid over the biennium, a first in modern Wisconsin history. As a result, the majority of districts will receive less state support this year. CLICK HERE
Lawmakers and Gov. Tony Evers maintained the state’s increase in the state’s per pupil revenue limit on districts at $325 per year.
Nearly every two-year budget over the past two decades has included at least one annual increase in general school aids, a form of aid that is distributed to school districts based on factors including property values, spending, and enrollment. This time, state leaders instead kept the funding for these payments flat, leaving property taxes as the sole means by which school districts collectively could access the allowed $325 per student increase.
Dee Pettack posted this information in a previous blog, and I pulled it into my update, just in case you missed it.
The Department of Administration, in partnership with Governor Evers, recently announced a new Grant program focused on Violence Prevention. The State Violence Prevention Grant Announcement, Application Instructions, and application forms by program category are now available on the Office of Violence Prevention webpage.
Grant Funding Available
A total of $10 million will be awarded through this competitive grant process to eligible organizations in the following categories:
Suicide Prevention and Firearm Storage Grants
Evidence-Based Violence Intervention and Outreach Programs
Criminal Justice-Based Initiatives
Domestic Violence Prevention Initiatives
School-Based Programming
Applicants may apply for funding in multiple categories by submitting separate applications for each. School-Based Programming applications require a narrative that describes services or programming to be delivered during the grant period and how those activities promote violence prevention and safer communities through school-based and youth-focused programming.
Key Application Information
Applications must be submitted through DocuSign
Deadline: Friday, January 16, 2026, at 2:00 PM (Central)
Questions: ovp@wisconsin.gov
More Details & Application Materials: Office of Violence Prevention webpage
Policy Intelligence and Education News
Attached – draft Department of Education’s (ED’s) interagency agreements –The Department of Education has published only fact sheets for the six interagency agreements it announced last month that will transfer the administration for more than $33 billion to other agencies (see the CEF Update of 11.20.25 for a funding table showing which programs are subject to IAAs and a description of how we think they will work). ED has not yet published the actual agreements, but I’ve attached what I got through unofficial channels that appear to be the agreements signed before the shutdown on September 30 by ED and officials at the four other agencies that will now administer ED programs. The materials are marked as for internal use only, but they have been shared by other non-federal entities so I’m not breaking any news here. For those who follow programs that are part of the IAAs, I think it is helpful to see the language about which programs are involved, the expected performance of the other agencies, what ED will still do, and that ED will transfer FY 2025 and 2026 funding to cover the activities at the other agencies.
Appropriations status – There doesn’t appear to be any significant movement toward enacted the remaining nine fiscal year (FY) 2026 appropriations bills. Congress is in session for less than two weeks before recessing until January, and the short-term extension of funding – known as a continuing resolution or CR - for programs in those bills runs out after midnight on January 30. The Senate Appropriations Committee may release its last two bills and may try to pass some of the four bills it has not yet considered, but various Senators still have holds on the remaining five bills – that group includes the Labor-HHS-Education bill - that leaders had hoped to package together and bring to the Senate floor this month. The House does not appear to be planning to debate any more of the bills reported by the House Appropriations Committee, and the Senate and House have not agreed on total spending for each remaining bill, never mind the individual program levels. The CR prohibits any mass layoffs of federal employees until January 30, and Democrats will try to keep that prohibition in place in any future bills. However, there are many differences to negotiate still, including funding levels, policy provisions, protections for programs and employees.
Upcoming education-related hearings –
“Building Pathways: Advancing Workforce Development in the 21st Century” today, December 9, at 2pm ET, in the Senate HELP Committee.
“Building a Talent Marketplace: How LERs Empower Workers and Expand Opportunity” on Wednesday, December 10, at 10:15am ET, in the House Education and Workforce Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development.
Here are a few items from Tara Thomas’s Weekly Report
The Advocate: Federal Policy Surge on Kids and Technology: What It Means for Schools
In recent weeks, federal policymakers have taken unprecedented action on issues affecting children and technology. Just before Thanksgiving, the House Commerce Committee introduced 19 technology-related bills—many with direct implications for students and schools—which were marked up on December 11. The month's edition of The Advocate breaks it all down. Access it on The Leading Edge blog.
There's Still Time to Advocate for FY26 Education Funding
Congress has until January 30 to finalize FY26 funding - or pass another continuing resolution. As the House and Senate negotiate final numbers, it is critical that they hear directly from superintendents on the importance of federal funding. Send a message to your representatives in Congress and urge them to maintain funding for core federal programs such as Title I and IDEA. You can find a template letter and additional resources to support your advocacy here.
The WiRSA board has made scholarship changes
The scholarships for both our general WiRSA scholarship and our pre-teacher scholarship have increased to $1000, and the selection committee will evaluate applicants' video presentations.
General WiRSA Scholarship
The scholarship will be awarded annually to one graduating high school senior from each of the four membership regions of Wisconsin, as specified in the organization’s bylaws. An additional at-large scholarship will be awarded to the next-highest-scoring applicant. Each recipient will receive a one-time cash scholarship of $1000 to be used by the student to help defray the costs of post-secondary education and related expenses. A video of the applicant addressing the following information is required for the application. Consideration will be given to professionalism, communication, and content. The video should be limited to 5 minutes.
What are the benefits of attending a rural school?
Why are you choosing the field of teacher education?
What is the value of growing up in a rural community, and what personal values have you gained from your experience?
SENIOR - Post-Secondary Teacher Education Scholarship Details
The scholarship will be awarded annually to one graduating high school senior from each of the four membership regions of Wisconsin, as specified in the organization’s bylaws. An additional at-large scholarship will be awarded to the next-highest-scoring applicant. Each recipient will receive a one-time cash scholarship of $1000 to be used by the student to help defray the costs of post-secondary education and related expenses. A video of the applicant addressing the following information is required for the application. Consideration will be given to professionalism, communication, and content. The video should be limited to 5 minutes.
What are the benefits of attending a rural school?
Why are you choosing the field of teacher education?
What is the value of growing up in a rural community, and what personal values have you gained from your experience?