Utah to Receive Education Stimulus

Hmmmm.......not sure if I like the sound of this...but ya know...who am I really...........sigh....

Utah to receive education stimulus, complete with strings attached
April 4, 10:09 AM ·

Utah public education is preparing for a 5.2% budget cut next year. For charter schools that already operate on slim budgets, the impact is closer to 10% for most. Enter the federal government. This week Secretary of Education Arne Duncan announced $44 billion in Federal Recovery Act stimulus funds to be provided to assist states with education shortfalls and improvements. The first allocation, $32.6 billion, will come under the State Stabilization Fund, of which $26.6 billion is earmarked to save jobs and improve K-12 and higher education. The remaining $6 billion is applied to the Government Services Fund for education, public safety or other government services.

States must apply for the funds and can anticipate receiving the first allocation within weeks of approval. A second allocation of funds will be disbursed later in the year.

The second round of available funds will require states demonstrate progress toward reform and improvement. The guidelines released this week are designed to promote comprehensive education reform. Like No Child Left Behind, states will be required to comply with reporting, quality and progress standards in order to receive the funds. The U.S. Department of Education lists the requirements that states show:

* Improvements in teacher effectiveness and commitments that all schools have highly qualified teachers
* Progress toward college and career-ready standards and rigorous assessments that will improve both teaching and learning
* Improvements in achievement in low-performing schools, by providing intensive support and effective interventions in those schools
* That they can gather information to improve student learning, teacher performance, and college and career-readiness through enhanced data systems that track progress

States must also minimally maintain 2006 state education budget levels. This provision ensures states do not defund education in anticipation of federal stimulus backfill.

An addtional $5 billion in competitive grants titled "Race to the Top" will reward states' effective efforts toward reform. This will be based on how well the states used the previous stabilization and Title I funds.

In recent history, Utah lawmakers have resisted federal requirements attached to funding received under the No Child Left Behind Act. In fervent defense of federalism, lawmakers were happy to accept federal funds but did not want the strings attached, which included improved state-determined reporting procedures, state-determined testing measures and federally prescribed remediation for schools receiving Title I funds. The U.S. Department of Education has not yet released the details regarding the requirements attached to the stimulus funds, but preliminary indications are states will have to comply with new and more stringent reporting and testing protocols. Strict oversight by the federal Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board created to ensure effective use of stimulus funds will ensure states' compliance with federally prescribed standards that reflect the agenda of the new administration. With the first allotment of funds just weeks from disbursement, Utah could be a recipient of a handout for which it may not like the yet-to-be revealed terms.

President Obama's oft expressed support for charter schools, performance based pay for teachers and recruitment efforts for hard to fill positions will likely find their way into stimulus requirements or grant criteria. This could result in more favorable policies and funding for Utah charter schools and broader acceptance of human resource practices already utilized in most charter schools.

An additional $11.4 billion is also appropriated to fund Title I, IDEA and other programs.

For more info:

U.S. Deptarment of Education (http://www.ed.gov/news/pressreleases/2009/03/03072009.html)