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County to pilot community‑schools model in Oshkosh with $500,000 WPP grant
Summary
The health department described a $500,000 pilot community‑schools grant with the Oshkosh Area School District and a UW center to start two elementary school pilots (Reed and Menominee); the grant passed personnel & finance 3–2 and may require two‑thirds approval at county board.
Winnebago County health staff told the Board of Health committee that a $500,000 WPP (community schools) grant will fund a three‑year pilot embedded in two Oshkosh elementary schools, and staff urged board members to communicate with county supervisors about community benefits ahead of county‑board consideration.
Hannah Wania, a community health strategist, described the pilot and partners: "We're starting really small in 2 pilot schools in hopes that we can just get some good information that the rest of our county schools can use too," she said, naming Reed and Menominee elementary schools in Oshkosh. Staff said the pilot is being evaluated by a UW center to provide independent measurement of outcomes.
Why it matters: county staff said the pilot aims to reduce absenteeism and connect families with services, focusing on financially disadvantaged elementary schools with higher absenteeism. The department emphasized it will play a supportive role rather than be the long‑term owner of the positions embedded in schools.
Controversy and procedure: personnel & finance approved the grant 3–2, and several supervisors expressed concern about accepting funds tied to an endowment managed by a university entity with stated DEI policies. Staff said they will prepare a one‑page explanation of the partnership and funding source to accompany the packet to county board, and reminded the committee the grant will require a two‑thirds county‑board vote because it is a budget amendment.
Next steps: staff will include clarifying materials in the county‑board packet and present the pilot to county board; the committee discussed potential scheduling and quick review in case the county board requests revisions so the pilot can begin on schedule.
