01.14.09: Maybe Good News?
By David Walrath
Yesterday Politico (www.politico.com) reported in a story by David Rogers that federal aid to education over a two-year period could be up to a combined $140 billion over a two-year period in the economic stimulus bill. The funds would be in addition to existing school funding. One key word is “could” because none of the specifics of the stimulus bill have been released by the incoming administration or in draft appropriations language by the House of Representatives or United States Senate.
The article indicated that there could be a two-year combined $80 billion block grant to help stabilize state education and local education budgets. If this were the case, then based on population California would receive approximately $10 billion over the two-year period. The article expects that the $80 billion would be in addition to new money for special education and up to $20 billion for school construction projects.
While it is way too early to expect any significant new education money in the federal stimulus package, the continuous comments from President-Elect Obama, his advisors, the United State House of Representatives and United States Senate staff, as well as many others that the stimulus bill will include help for states and schools gives hope that the draconian cuts proposed for California public schools in the current and budget years could be mitigated. There should be no expectation that the federal stimulus will eliminate the need for cuts or will be sufficient to provide long-term adequate funding for schools. Those are still challenges public schools will face for the remainder of this year, next year and until funding adequacy through state, legislative or initiative action is achieved.
