Where's our "Obama stimulus money?"

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) was designed to stimulate the economy in the short term and invest in education and other essential public services to ensure the long-term economic health of our nation. The Act appropriated new funding for programs under Parts B and C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

Ridgewood Public Schools were awarded $1,195,766 under ARRA/IDEA. There were many rules and stipulations that accompanied the funds (you can read all the fine print here), with the main point being the funds were to be used primarily for Special Ed. Our district administration put together a distribution plan, which Dr. Fishbein presented (and the Board of Education approved) at the BOE meeting on 9/14/09. Here's how it breaks down:

Preschool - Curriculum & Supplies (RED Program) ($41,768)
SAIL Program –Start-up ($48,579)
Differentiated Curriculum (Development and RTI Training ($12,206)
Renovations at Somerville ($30,720)
Additional LLD Classroom ($10,000)
Student Information System SE ($31,972)
Evaluation Materials CST ($40,000)
Augmentative Devices ($29,240)
Assistive Technology ($148,760)
Multi-Sensory Reading – Training and Supplies ($50,000)
Middle School RISE/ADL Equip. Purchase ans Installation ($20,000)
Storage of SE Files ($53,043)
Autism Class – Start-Up Costs ($93,885)
Instructional Supplies/Non-public ($1,302)
Tuition ($580,292)
Total - $1,195,766

Because we were allowed to use a portion of the funds for tuitions (which we pay for out of district special ed placements), we were able to free up additional funds for allowable (non-special ed) items not included in the ARRA requirement:

3 Busses (2/24seats &1/16 seats) – ($150,000)
Student Management System Skyward ($235,404)
Virtual Learning Communities ($29,600)
Textbooks ($165,288)
Total - $580,292

Stimulus $$ for Education

Wondering what kind of money has been pledged for "education" items in the federal stimulus plan? Here's the list (from ProPublica.com). It's a LOT of money. And yet -- who wants to take bets on how much, if ANY, will make its way to Ridgewood?

• State grants for adult job training: $500,000,000
• State grants for youth job training and summer employment opportunities: $1,200,000,000
• Dislocated worker job training: $1,250,000,000
• YouthBuild program for high school dropouts who re-enroll in other schools: $50,000,000
• Job training in emerging industries: $250,000,000
• Job training in the renewable energy field: $500,000,000
• Head Start programs: $1,000,000,000
• Early Head Start program expansion: $1,100,000,000
• Education for the disadvantaged - elementary and secondary education: $10,000,000,000
• Education for the disadvantaged - school improvement grants: $3,000,000,000
• Education impact aid: $100,000,000
• School improvement programs: $650,000,000
• Innovation and improvement of elementary and secondary schools: $200,000,000
• Special education funding under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act: $12,200,000,000
• Pell grants for higher education: $15,840,000,000
• Institute of Education data systems: $245,000,000
• Institute of Education state data coordinators: $5,000,000
• Dislocated worker assistance national reserve: $200,000,000
• School improvement grants awarded based on the number of homeless students identified in a state: $70,000,000
• Student aid administrative costs: $60,000,000
TOTAL: $48,420,000,000