Head Start, School Construction and Education Updates

1
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA)
P.L. 111-5

• Head Start, School Construction and Education
  Updates

Joel Packer, Director, EPP Jpacker_at_nea.org
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Todays Webcast

• Whats new
• NEA flow charts
• HHS releases Head Start information
• Treasury releases construction bond guidance and
  allocations
• USED updates guidance and materials
• Whats happening in states
• Future webcasts

3
Note this chart does not contain information on
Impact Aid construction (100 million), education
for homeless children (70 million), and
statewide data systems (250 million)
4
Note Institutions of higher education are also
eligible for funds from the State Fiscal
Stabilization Fund
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Head Start/Early Head Start
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Head Start/Early Head Start

• HHS releases breakdown of funds
• http//www.hhs.gov/news/press/2009pres/04/20090402
  a.html
• Grants totaling nearly 220 million will allow
  current Head Start grantees to serve 16,600
  additional children and families.
• Grants worth nearly 1.2 billion, will support
  Early Head Start expansion and allow the program
  to serve 55,000 more pregnant women, infants,
  toddlers and their families and nearly double the
  number of Early Head Start participants.

7
Head Start/Early Head Start

• Head Start ARRA funds worth nearly 354 million
  will help improve staff compensation and
  training, upgrade Head Start centers and
  classrooms, increase hours of operation and
  enhance transportation services.
• An additional 466 million will be used to award
  all Head Start and Early Head Start grantees a
  nearly five percent cost-of-living increase and
  bolster training and technical assistance
  activities.

8
Head Start/Early Head Start

• The Recovery Act will also bolster coordination
  between Head Start, Early Head Start and
  state-run early childhood care and education
  programs by providing grants worth 100 million
  in Head Start ARRA funds to states to establish
  advisory councils on early childhood education
  and care. 

9
School Construction Bonds
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QSCBs and QZABs

• Qualified School Construction Bonds
• 11 billion for each of calendar years 2009 and
  2010
• Bonds issued by a State or local government for
  the construction, rehabilitation, or repair of a
  public school facility or for the acquisition of
  land on which such a facility is to be
  constructed
• 60 of bond authority issued to States in
  proportion to share of Title I funds

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QSCBs and QZABs

• Qualified School Construction Bonds
• 40 to 100 LEAs with largest s of children in
  poverty (also based on Title I share)
• Guidance and allocations at http//www.irs.gov/pu
  b/irs-drop/n-09-35.pdf

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QSCBs and QZABs

• Qualified Zone Academy Bonds
• 1.4 billion for each of calendar years 2009 and
  2010
• A qualified zone academy is a public school
  located in an empowerment zone or enterprise
  community and there is a reasonable expectation
  (as of the date of bond issuance) that at least
  35 percent of the students will be eligible for
  free or reduced cost lunches

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QSCBs and QZABs

• QZABS may be used for (A) rehabilitating or
  repairing the public school facility (B)
  providing equipment (C) developing course
  materials and, (D) training teachers and other
  school personnel.
• Also requires a 10 contribution from private
  businesses.
• Bonds allocated to States on the basis of their
  populations of individuals below the poverty
  line.
• Guidance and allocations at http//www.irs.gov/pu
  b/irs-drop/n-09-30.pdf
• New NEA state tables at http//www.nea.org/home/n
  s/31061.htm

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USED Applications and Guidance

• 44 billion now available

http//www.ed.gov/policy/gen/leg/recovery/index.ht
mlapps
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Updated USED ARRA materials

• Webcast of April 3 briefing
• http//www.connectlive.com/events/deptedu/
• Slideshow presentation
• http//www.ed.gov/policy/gen/leg/recovery/presenta
  tion/index.html

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Updated USED ARRA materials

• SFSF Guidance modifications
• http//www.ed.gov/programs/statestabilization/guid
  ance-mod.pdf
• SFSF Application Clarifying instructions
• http//www.ed.gov/programs/statestabilization/clar
  ification.doc
• Office of Inspector General presentations on
  accountability and audits
• http//www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/oig/recoverya
  ct.html

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Guiding Principles
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Advance Core Reforms Assurances
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44 Billion Available in April

• State Stabilization - 32.5 billion (67 based on
  approvable application)
• Available April 1
• IDEA, Parts B C - 6.1 billion (50)
• Title I, Part A - 5 billion (50)
• Vocational Rehabilitation - 270 million (50)
• Independent Living - 52.5 million (100 of
  formula monies 87.5 million in competitive
  grants to follow)
• Available April 10
• Homeless Youth - 70 million (100)
• Impact Aid - 40 million (100 of formula monies
  60 million in competitive grants to follow)

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Additional 49 Billion Becomes Available Later in
2009

• Pell Work Study - 17.3 billion (100)
• State Stabilization - 16.1 billion (33)
• IDEA , Parts B C - 6.1 billion (50) 
• Title I, Part A - 5 billion (50)
• Title I School Improvement - 3 billion (100)
• Enhancing Education through Technology - 650
  million (100)
• Vocational Rehabilitation - 270 million (50)
• Statewide Data Systems - 250 million (100)
• Teacher Incentive Fund - 200 million (100)
• Teacher Quality Enhancement - 100 million (100)

21
IDEA Guidance

• Quick highlights

22
SEA Application

• In order to receive the remaining 50 of funds,
  each state will need to submit, for review and
  approval by the Department, additional
  information that addresses how the state will
  meet the accountability and reporting
  requirements
• Guidance to come
• Awards to SEAs by 9/30/09

23
No Increase in State Administration

• The additional IDEA Part B ARRA funds do not
  increase the amount a state would otherwise be
  able to reserve under IDEA section 611(e) for
  state administration or other state-level
  activities

24
State Waivers

• The Secretary has authority to grant a waiver of
  the state-level supplement not supplant
  requirement if the state provides clear and
  convincing evidence that all children with
  disabilities in the state have FAPE available.

25
State Waivers

• The Secretary has authority to grant waivers for
  the MOE requirement that applies to states.
  However, the Secretary may only grant waivers to
  individual states, for one fiscal year at a time,
  after determining that granting a waiver would be
  equitable due to exceptional or uncontrollable
  circumstances such as a natural disaster or a
  precipitous and unforeseen decline in the
  financial resources of the state

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SFSF Funds to Meet IDEA MoE

• The Secretary may permit a state or an LEA to
  treat Stabilization funds as non-Federal funds
  for MOE purposes
• The Department intends to issue further guidance
  on the process for obtaining the Secretarys
  prior approval to use Stabilization funds to
  meet the MOE requirements of other programs

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Funds to LEAs

• A state should obligate IDEA Part B ARRA funds to
  LEAs as soon as possible
• LEAs may set aside up to 15 percent of their IDEA
  Part B ARRA funds for coordinated early
  intervening services (also know as RtI)

28
LEA 50 Flexibility

• Under certain circumstances, in accordance with
  IDEA section 613(a)(2)(C), in any fiscal year
  that an LEAs subgrant allocation exceeds the
  amount that the LEA received in the previous
  fiscal year, that LEA may reduce the level of
  local, or state and local, expenditures otherwise
  required by the LEA MOE requirements by up to 50
  percent of the increase in the LEAs subgrant
  allocation.
• The LEA must spend the freed-up local or, state
  and local, funds on activities that are
  authorized under the Elementary and Secondary
  Education Act (ESEA).

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Use of freed-up funds

• The LEA must spend the full amount by which it
  reduces local, or state and local, effort for
  special education and related services on
  activities that could be supported with funds
  under the ESEA - regardless of whether the LEA is
  using funds under the ESEA for those activities.
  This includes any activities allowed under Title
  I, Impact Aid, and other ESEA programs. An LEA
  could use these funds to pay for activities that
  are currently being funded with other state or
  local funds or for new activities.

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Whats Happening in States?
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Confusion!

• Stateline article, Tracking the recession Much
  ado about a small stimulus pot http//www.statelin
  e.org/live/details/story?contentId389957
• Education Week As Stimulus Tap Turns On,
  Districts Cant Escape Cuts
• New Federal Aid Will Help, but Many Local
  Administrators are Still Facing Tough Choices
• http//www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2009/04/08/28dis
  tricts.h28.html

32
Alaska

• School Board prods Palin to accept education
  stimulus money
• http//www.juneauempire.com/stories/040809/loc_427
  105254.shtml
• Funds could reduce need for proposed cuts,
  including loss of 13 teachers
• The Juneau School Board unanimously approved a
  resolution Tuesday urging Gov. Sarah Palin and
  the state Legislature to accept federal stimulus
  funding for education, money that could offset
  job cuts and bring an extra 1.6 million to the
  district over 30 months.

33
Arizona

• Horne To Teachers Don't Panic Educators Upset,
  Worried About Budget Cuts
• http//www.kpho.com/education/19134142/detail.html
  
• Arizonas Superintendent of Public Education
  believes thousands of Valley teachers will not
  lose their jobs, despite receiving notices that
  their contracts will not be renewed.
• He said that, while districts are preparing for
  budget cuts as high as 30 percent, they will
  ultimately only face budget reductions of 2
  percent. He thinks federal stimulus money will
  significantly close the gap.

34
California

• Gov. Schwarzenegger offers assurances for federal
  education funds
• http//www.latimes.com/news/education/la-me-edfund
  8-2009apr08,0,4318547.story?trackrss
• "Let me assure you it is the intent of the
  governor that these funds allocated to the
  state will be dispersed quickly to local
  educational agencies . . . and will be spent
  quickly according to local needs,"
  Schwarzenegger's education secretary, Glen W.
  Thomas, wrote in the letter. "It is the hope that
  these funds will immediately help prevent teacher
  layoffs."

35
Colorado

• Title 1 gives DPS 4.5 million lift
• http//www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_12102100
  
• A last-minute shot of federal stimulus money for
  poor schools is netting Denver Public Schools an
  additional 4.5 million administrators say could
  preserve up to 80 jobs.

36
Connecticut

• John Yrchik, executive director of the
  Connecticut Education Association, testified that
  even with the aid, layoffs are projected in
  school districts across the state and the nation.
  His labor group represents more than 37,000
  Connecticut teachers.
• http//www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2009/04/07/26091
  1ctconnecticutstimulus_ap.html?r1673364863

37
Massachusetts

• City schools seek OK to use stimulus money now
  Federal money would prevent teacher layoffs
• http//www.eagletribune.com/punewshh/local_story_0
  99031946.html?keywordtopstory
• The state will let Haverhill schools apply to use
  federal stimulus money this fiscal year to solve
  a budget problem and save teacher jobs

38
Nevada

• Public school funding threatened
• Nevadas public schools could lose hundreds of
  millions of dollars in federal stimulus money
  because of rules that tie money for K-12 schools
  to Nevadas higher education system.http//www.la
  hontanvalleynews.com/article/20090408/NEWS/9040899
  83/1055ParentProfile1045

39
Ohio

• Gov. says no districts will get shortchanged of
  federal stimulus dollars
• http//blog.cleveland.com/openers/2009/04/gov_says
  _no_districts_will_get.html

40
South Carolina

• 'Tent city' protests Sanford's stimulus stance
• http//www.midlandsconnect.com/news/news_story.asp
  x?id283882
• By noon the South Carolina Education Association
  made it's presence known.  According to state
  education officials, without the stimulus money
  districts will lose teachers and students will
  suffer. 

41
Texas

• Schools, state at odds over stimulus allocation
• http//www.elpasotimes.com/ci_12103397
• School district leaders are afraid that federal
  stimulus money they hoped to use for construction
  and maintenance will not reach them but rather
  help the state save money.
• The group argues that Texas legislators are
  attempting to use federal money from the State
  Fiscal Stabilization Fund to pay for education
  initiatives that should have already been
  included in the state's budget.