Fiscal Note
No appropriation required.
Title
Reaffirming the value of environmental education to Wisconsin’s citizens and natural resources and urging the Wisconsin Legislature and Governor to restore public funding and support for environmental education in our state to the 2015 - 2017 budget.
Body
WHEREAS, the Wisconsin Environmental Education Board (WEEB) was created under Governor Thompson under Wisconsin state statutes (36.54 and 15.915 (6)) to provide leadership for environmental education in Wisconsin with a board that represents private and public sectors; and,
WHEREAS, over a recent 10 year period, WEEB awarded nearly $4.5 million in grants to schools, non-profits, tribal governments, municipalities, and agencies across Wisconsin; and,
WHEREAS, this funding leveraged an additional $5 million in support and 140,000 hours of service for projects serving over 900,000 participants; and,
WHEREAS, WEEB has awarded grants to 1,945 WI organizations, including workforce development such as “Jobs in the Forest”, “Natural Resource Careers Workshop”, “Forester Training in Northwest WI”, and “Farm and Field Youth Training Program in Sustainable Agriculture”; and,
WHEREAS, the Department of Instruction Environmental Education (DPI EE) Consultant under Wisconsin state statutes (20.285 (rm) and 36.49) provides state level leadership to PK-12 districts with priorities in curriculum, instruction, and assessment in environmental science and environmental education; and,
WHEREAS, funding for this position is not from tax revenue, but from earnings on the state normal school trust fund; and,
WHEREAS, the Wisconsin Center for Environmental Education at UW-Stevens Point (WCEE) was created under Governor Thompson over 20 years ago under state statute (36.25 (29m) to support K-12 environmental education in the state; and,
WHEREAS, the current state general funding results in an additional $1 million in private and public funding and 18 positions in forestry educati...
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