MONROE — State Treasurer Sarah Godlewski presented the 2019 distribution to the Common School Fund to State Superintendent Carolyn Stanford Taylor on April 1. 

As a result of smart investment strategies, the Common School Fund will provide $36.2 million to Wisconsin public schools. 

This is a significant distribution that will benefit K-12 public school libraries and 92% of school libraries are solely funded from the Common School Fund each year, making this funding vital to public education.

The Board of Commissioner of Public Lands operates entirely on program revenue, without taxpayer money, and distributes more than 96 cents of every dollar of interest earned on BCPL State Trust Fund investments to Wisconsin’s public schools.

The 2019 earnings of $36.2 million provide the sole source of state funding for K-12 public school library materials. 

Established in 1848 in the Wisconsin Constitution, the Common School Fund is the state’s permanent endowment that benefits public education. To date, the fund is worth over $1 billion. Wisconsin is the only state in the country that has a fund dedicated to resourcing public school libraries.

Godlewski shared her goals for the Common School Fund, which included increasing financial returns through win-win investment strategies, optimizing the agency’s land base to provide additional revenue streams and promoting the use and visibility of the State Trust Fund Loan program.