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Editor’s Note: For a complete breakdown of funding per each local school district, visit http://edlabor.house.gov/documents/111/pdf/publications/ARKANSAS-20090213-HR1-LEAs.pdf.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Blanche Lincoln and Mark Pryor and U.S. Representatives Marion Berry (AR-01), Vic Snyder (AR-02) and Mike Ross (AR-04) today announced that $116,426,498 in emergency education funding has been released to schools in Arkansas to help save education-related jobs and maintain programs for low-income students and students with disabilities. Specifically, Arkansas schools will receive $55,571,540 in Title I funds and $60,854,958 in funds for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) immediately. A second installment of funding to Title I and IDEA funds will be released in the fall.
“Every Arkansas student deserves a high-quality education, and this assistance will help our state provide young people with the skills and knowledge they need to be successful. These funds will also help retain Arkansas teaching jobs and strengthen local communities. I’m pleased to announce this funding, which supports exactly the kind of priorities the economic recovery bill should provide,” said Lincoln.
“These funds send a strong message that education is a priority even in challenging economic times,” said Pryor. “If we are committed to creating a solid foundation for economic growth then we must ensure all Arkansas children have the opportunity to achieve their highest potential.”
“This funding is a down payment for a brighter future for our country,” said Berry. “If we want to remain competitive globally, investing in education is no longer an option, it is a necessity. In addition, the funding will be used to help retain and create teaching jobs, and upgrade schools and Head Start programs, all of which are extremely important during these difficult economic conditions."
"These funds save jobs, help students and help teachers," said Snyder.
“As the son of two public school educators, I am a firm believer that education is critical to our nation’s future and long-term economic prosperity,” said Ross. “I worked hard to ensure that the Recovery Act invested in our local schools and I am pleased to see that these funds are now available to school districts throughout Arkansas’s Fourth Congressional District and the state of Arkansas. We should continually work to ensure our schools and teachers have the resources they need to best prepare our children for a 21st century global economy.”
Nationwide, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act provides $13 billion in Title I funds, which helps low-income students, and $13.5 billion in IDEA funds, which helps students with disabilities. This is the first of two installments of direct funding for Title I and IDEA programs that Arkansas school districts will receive under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The second installment of funds will be released to districts in the fall of this year.
In addition to the Title I and IDEA investments, the economic recovery plan also created a state stabilization fund to help stabilize state and local budgets and restore harmful cuts to education. Along with announcing the release of funding for local districts, the White House also issued guidelines today on how these funds must be used. The guidelines confirm 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. The guidelines also reaffirmed that state stabilization funds should be used for three purposes: to reverse harmful cuts to k12 and higher education, to prevent off teacher layoffs, and to modernize school facilities – which could create new jobs.
IDEA is the 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. The funds appropriated through the Recovery Plan are distributed through the previously defined IDEA and Title I formulas.
Arkansas’s funding includes:
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Recovery Act Estimates
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Title I Grants to Local Educational Agencies
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$55,571,540
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IDEA Part B Grants to States
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$56,088,965
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IDEA Part B Preschool Grants
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$2,782,823
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IDEA Part C Grants for Infants and Families
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$1,983,171
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TOTAL
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$116,426,498
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