Stimulus bill includes $115 billion in education funding

When President Barack Obama signed the $787-billion economic stimulus package into law in February, approximately $115 billion was slated in aid to public education.

The bill includes money to help local school districts avoid layoffs and program cuts, boosts funding for special education and programs for disadvantaged students, and offers the prospect of funding for school repairs and modernization. Initial reports state that California will get approximately $10 billion of the aid for public education.

According to Education Week, the amount for education is nearly double the U.S. Department of Education’s entire $59.2-billion discretionary budget for 2009-2010.

“We’re making the largest investment in education in our nation’s history,” Obama said.

Nearly $80 billion of the aid will be given directly to states and districts for pre-college education, the bulk of which will come from three main streams: the $53.6 billion state stabilization fund, aimed at preventing layoffs and program cuts in education; $12.2 billion for special education; and $13 billion in Title I money for disadvantaged students.

According to the California Department of Education, the following aid is also included in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

Child Nutrition Program
$100 million for a grant program for National School Lunch Program equipment assistance.

Child Care and Development Block Grant
$2 billion available upon enactment to supplement state general revenue funds for child care assistance for low-income families.

255.2 million will be reserved by the states for quality improvement activities, of which $93.6 million will be used to improve the quality for infant and toddler care.

Head Start
$1 billion for Head Start.

$1.1 billion to expand Early Head Start programs, of which up to 10 percent will be available for training and assistance and up to 3 percent will be available for program monitoring.

Education Technology
$650 million for the Enhancing Education Through Technology Program. Funds will be used through the existing program for technology hardware, software applications, professional development and related instructional technology staff and services.

Teacher Incentive Fund
$200 million for competitive grants to school districts and states to develop and implement innovative strategies that provide financial incentives to recruit and retain teachers and principals who raise student achievement and close the achievement gap in high-need schools.

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