See Hawaii and other state applications for initial funding under the State Fiscal Stabilization Fund Program at http://www.ed.gov/programs/statestabilization/resources.html.
By Star-Bulletin staff
POSTED: 12:36 p.m. HST, Jul 01, 2009
The U.S. Department of Education has approved $129 million in federal stimulus funds for Hawaii schools, it was announced today.
The money will help save hundreds of thousands of teaching jobs at risk of state and local budget cuts, a department news release said.
?Hawaii can now utilize these funds to save jobs and lay the groundwork for a generation of education reform,? U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said.
To date, Hawaii has received $40 million in education stimulus funds, officials said.
To receive the funds announced today, state officials promised to ?collect, publish, analyze and act on basic information regarding the quality of classroom teachers, annual student improvements, college readiness, the effectiveness of state standards and assessments, progress on removing charter caps and interventions in turning around underperforming schools,? according to the Department of Education.
State officials also must report the number of jobs saved through American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 funding, the amount of state and local tax increases averted, and how funds are used.
The U.S. Department of Education has approved $129 million in federal stimulus funds for Hawaii schools, it was announced today.
The money will help save hundreds of thousands of teaching jobs at risk of state and local budget cuts, a department news release said.
?Hawaii can now utilize these funds to save jobs and lay the groundwork for a generation of education reform,? U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said.
To date, Hawaii has received $40 million in education stimulus funds, officials said.
To receive the funds announced today, state officials promised to ?collect, publish, analyze and act on basic information regarding the quality of classroom teachers, annual student improvements, college readiness, the effectiveness of state standards and assessments, progress on removing charter caps and interventions in turning around underperforming schools,? according to the Department of Education.
State officials also must report the number of jobs saved through American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 funding, the amount of state and local tax increases averted, and how funds are used.
Hawaii Will Get $129 Million for Schools in Federal Recovery Act Funds
(HONOLULU) - U.S. Representative Neil Abercrombie said today that Hawaii will receive $129 million in funding from the U.S. Department of Education, based on acceptance of its application for State Stabilization funds under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).
The Hawaii Congressional Delegation expressed concern to U.S. Secretary of Education Arnie Duncan in April following Governor Linda Lingle?s announcement of plans to use federal education funds to balance the state budget rather than to invest in improving classroom education for Hawaii school students. This federal funding is intended to save teaching jobs put at risk by state and local budget cuts. Representatives Abercrombie and Mazie K. Hirono, and Senators Daniel Akaka and Daniel Inouye wanted to be sure that the Governor?s plans did not put additional recovery funds for the schools at risk.
?We don?t want state budget shell games to leave our keiki in overcrowded classrooms with insufficient resources,? said Abercrombie. ?We?ll monitor the situation to be sure that Hawaii meets all the requirements for the recovery funds.?
Hawaii is required to collect, publish, analyze and act on information regarding the quality of classroom teachers, annual student improvement, college readiness, the effectiveness of state standards and turning around underperforming schools. The state must also report the number of jobs saved through Recovery Act funding, the amount of state and local tax increases averted and how the funds are used.
If all requirements are met, Hawaii could be eligible to apply for another $63 million in stimulus funding this fall. To date, Hawaii has received $40 million in education stimulus funds to improve the academic achievement of disadvantaged students, under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), and in Vocational Rehabilitation and Independent Living grants.
An even bigger opportunity for additional federal money to Hawaii schools and classrooms will be the Department of Education?s ?Race to the Top? fund, with more than $4 billion in competitive grants to states that show measurable progress in:
? Boosting teacher effectiveness and getting more good teachers into high-poverty, high-minority schools;
? Setting up data systems to track how much a student has learned from one year to the next;
? Improving academic standards and tests;
? Supporting struggling schools.
?We can bring significant federal funds to Hawaii schools to help us hold on to hard working, dedicated teachers and staff, and continue to improve the quality of education, even when state and local governments are struggling financially,? Abercrombie said. ?But, if we try to short-change education funding now, we risk losing a lot more, and our children will wind up paying for it.?
U.S. Department of Education
Office of Communications & Outreach, Press Office
400 Maryland Ave., S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20202$129 MILLION IN RECOVERY FUNDS NOW AVAILABLE FOR HAWAII TO SAVE JOBS AND DRIVE REFORM
Application for Part 1 of Hawaii?s State Stabilization Funds Approved Today
U. S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan today announced that $129 million is now available for Hawaii under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009. This funding will lay the foundation for a generation of education reform and help save hundreds of thousands of teaching jobs at risk of state and local budget cuts. Hawaii will be eligible to apply for another $63 million this fall. Today?s funding is being made available per Hawaii?s successful completion of Part 1 of the State Stabilization Application, which was made available on April 1st.
?The $129 million Hawaii will receive today is part of the single largest boost in education funding in recent history,? said Duncan. ?The President?s leadership and support from Congress have made this historic investment possible. Hawaii can now utilize these funds to save jobs and lay the groundwork for a generation of education reform.?
To date, Hawaii has received $40 million in education stimulus funds?representing a combination of funding for Title I, IDEA, Vocational Rehabilitation Grants and Independent Living Grants. On April 1, Hawaii received $16.6 million in Title I funding and $21.6 million in IDEA funding. This represents 50 percent of the Title I and IDEA funding Hawaii is eligible for in total. On April 1, Hawaii also received more than $1 million in Vocational Rehab funds and $331,000 in Independent Living funds.
In order to receive today?s funds, Hawaii provided assurances that it will collect, publish, analyze and act on basic information regarding the quality of classroom teachers, annual student improvements, college readiness, the effectiveness of state standards and assessments, progress on removing charter caps and interventions in turning around underperforming schools.
Hawaii is also required by the Department of Education to report the number of jobs saved through Recovery Act funding, the amount of state and local tax increases averted and how funds are used.
See Hawaii and other state applications for initial funding under the State Fiscal Stabilization Fund Program at http://www.ed.gov/programs/statestabilization/resources.html.
