WASHINGTON, D.C. – Emergency relief funding provided under President Obama’s economic recovery plan will be released to school districts across the country today. The U.S. Department of Education announced that they will release the first installment of funds that will help schools save teaching jobs and maintain education programs for low-income students and students with disabilities. School districts will receive the second installment of the funds, provided under Title I and IDEA formulas, this fall.
“These investments will go a long way toward helping students, teachers and schools that are facing devastating cuts in this economy,” said U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee who championed including these funds in the law. “Fixing our schools and ensuring our students have access to a world class education is not a luxury – it is an economic and educational necessity.”
In addition to the Title I and IDEA investments, the economic recovery plan also created a $54 billion State Fiscal Stabilization Fund to help stabilize state and local budgets and restore harmful cuts to education.
The Obama administration also issued guidelines today to clarify how the State Fiscal Stabilization Fund can be used by local districts and colleges. States can apply for this funding beginning today.
Earlier this month, Chairman Miller and other members of the California Democratic Congressional Delegation sent a letter to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and state education officials to urging them to release these emergency funds to school districts as soon as the state receives it. Their letter also clarified that while the state allocates the funds, it should be up to school districts and colleges to decide how to use these funds based on their local education needs.
The guidelines released today on the State Fiscal Stabilization Fund confirms that while states allocate the funds, it should be up to local school districts and colleges and universities to decide how to use this emergency aid, not up to states. The guidelines also reaffirmed that these funds should be used for three purposes: to backfill harmful cuts to K-12 and higher education, to stave off teacher layoffs, and to modernize school facilities – which could create new jobs.
IDEA is the major federal program that provides funding for special education and related services to students with disabilities. The Title I program provides funds to low-income school districts that are in even greater need during the economic downturn.
For more information on the education spending in the recovery package, click here.
To view the guidelines issued by the Department of Education, click here.
In addition to the Title I and IDEA investments, the economic recovery plan also created a $54 billion State Fiscal Stabilization Fund to help stabilize state and local budgets and restore harmful cuts to education.
The Obama administration also issued guidelines today to clarify how the State Fiscal Stabilization Fund can be used by local districts and colleges. States can apply for this funding beginning today.
Earlier this month, Chairman Miller and other members of the California Democratic Congressional Delegation sent a letter to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and state education officials to urging them to release these emergency funds to school districts as soon as the state receives it. Their letter also clarified that while the state allocates the funds, it should be up to school districts and colleges to decide how to use these funds based on their local education needs.
The guidelines released today on the State Fiscal Stabilization Fund confirms that while states allocate the funds, it should be up to local school districts and colleges and universities to decide how to use this emergency aid, not up to states. The guidelines also reaffirmed that these funds should be used for three purposes: to backfill harmful cuts to K-12 and higher education, to stave off teacher layoffs, and to modernize school facilities – which could create new jobs.
IDEA is the major federal program that provides funding for special education and related services to students with disabilities. The Title I program provides funds to low-income school districts that are in even greater need during the economic downturn.
For more information on the education spending in the recovery package, click here.
To view the guidelines issued by the Department of Education, click here.
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