State Superintendent Dr. Jill Underly criticized the U.S. Department of Education for its decision to terminate two federal grants supporting Wisconsin youth with combined vision and hearing loss, and those receiving special education services. The DPI plans to appeal the decision to end both grant programs.
Late Friday, the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction received notice that the federal government was ending funding for the Wisconsin Deafblind Technical Assistance Project and the State Personnel Development Grant at the end of the current grant budget period.
The USDE stated the two programs “reflect the prior administration’s priorities and policy preferences and conflict with those of the current administration.”
The WDBTAP serves 170 students from birth through age 21 who live with both vision and hearing loss — 85% of whom have four or more disabilities.
The project provides assistive technology tools, coaching, family support and professional training across Wisconsin. The program was in the middle of a five-year grant cycle totaling more than $550,000, with funding expected to last through September 2028.
The SPDG, meanwhile, addresses Wisconsin’s special education teacher shortage, investing in educator recruitment, retention and development.
The $10.5 million, five-year grant funds programs like the Special Educator Induction Program, which in its first year supported 280 new special educators across the state.
Through the SPDG, the DPI also partnered with the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater to establish an innovative teacher residency program aimed at addressing this retention crisis.
