​​​​Funding K-12

The majority of the distributions made by BCPL are from the Common School Fund. These dollars not only support Wisconsin public schools, but to lift up teachers and students as these funds are typically the sole source of funding for books and technology in schools. Under the Secretary’s leadership, the Common School Fund continues to have record breaking distributions to public schools in Wisconsin.

Annual Distributions:

  • 2023 - $52.0 million
  • 2022 - $40.6 Million​
  • 2021 - $39 Million
  • 2020 - $38.2 Million + Additional $5.25 Million for Special COVID-19 Distribution​
  • 2019 - $36.2 Million​
Secretary Godlewski knows when our schools do well, our kids do well, and the Common School Fund will continue to provide resources our schools need to thrive.

As Chair of the BCPL, Sec. Godlewski presents funds to the school libraries in the Whitewater School District.Sec. Godlewski attends a groundbreaking for a new facility in the South Central Library System.

Funding the University of Wisconsin

The Normal School Fund provides an annual financial distribution to the UW-System. This money goes towards merit scholarships for UW students, scholarships for underrepresented students at UW-Madison’s Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies, programming in UW-Stevens Point’s forestry department, and UW-Extension’s sustainable business program. 

A record-breaking distribution in 2023 of $1.25 million was provided to the UW-System to fund these critical programs and helped fund 150 merit scholarships at University of Wisconsin schools.

Part of the positive fund growth was due to innovative thinking on how to sustainably increase revenue on our public lands. While this work continues, future distributions will continue to grow, provide more resources to help students and teachers, and uphold our commitment to conservation. 

Public Lands

​The school trust lands that are managed by the BCPL are distinct from other public lands, such as parks or national forests, because the state’s founders declared that school trust lands would always benefit the Trusts’ beneficiaries: Wisconsin’s public education system. The BCPL’s obligation is to protect the lands for long-term financial return. To date, the BCPL managed 77,000 acres of public lands and have worked diligently to:

  • Increased public access to BCPL public lands
  • Implemented Comprehensive Sustainable Management Plans
  • Receive annual Forest Stewardship Council Management Certification
School trust lands are open for public use. For information on how to access school trust lands, contact the BCPL’s Forest Supervisor.

View a map of land managed by the BCPL on the Department of Natural Resources Managed Lands website. ​