Saturday, February 28, 2009

SCHOOL AID FROM THE STIMULUS PACKAGE

Senator Charles Schumer's staff sent along this news release...


The economic stimulus package will include approximately $550 million in direct education aid through the Title I and Special Education/IDEA federal formulas and $320 million for public school repair and construction, with Upstate New York estimated to receive a total of at approximately $865 million, according to the Congressional Research Service (CRS).

Congress is using several different formulas to deliver these critical funds to schools. These funds will be distributed using existing federal education funding formulas, such as the one used for Title I, No Child Left Behind and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and will be given in a way that gives states and districts the flexibility and tools they need to keep serving our children.

Schumer have pushed for a robust amount of funding in the infrastructure portion of the package to be dedicated to school repair and construction to jump start school modernization programs. These dollars will fund 21st Century classrooms that are energy efficient and provide the information technology and cyber infrastructure that will increase America’s competitiveness and give our students greater advantages in a global economy.

In addition, both the Senate and House bills include $79 billion in additional state fiscal relief funding, with $39 billion designated for local school districts, $15 billion to states as incentive performance grants, and $25 billion for other high priority needs such as public safety and education.




So, just how big is Roy-Hart's piece of the pie?

Special education & IDEA funding: $364,000

Title I Funding: $95,527