(THURSDAY, April 2, 2009) --
Senator Patrick Leahy (D), Senator Bernie Sanders (I) and Congressman
Peter Welch (D) Thursday said the Obama Administration’s release of
$91.5 million in stimulus grants to Vermont will backstop support for
the state’s schools and ease Vermont’s budget deficit. The newly
released funds, distributed by the U.S. Department of Education, are
among Vermont’s largest and most urgently anticipated dividends under
the recently enacted economic recovery act.
Seven grants for education and
state stabilization, totaling $91.5 million, represent the first half of
education grants to flow to Vermont under the American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act, which the President signed on Feb. 17. The funds
are directed to both state and local agencies through the Title I and
IDEA programs to help disadvantaged youths and fund special education
programs, Independent Living Programs, services for older individuals
who are blind, vocational rehabilitation, and the State Fiscal
Stabilization Fund.
Leahy said, "School budgets are
under enormous pressure in this economic downturn. These timely
funds will ease that pressure. The President and Education
Secretary Arne Duncan have done what they promised to do in promptly
putting these funds to work in our schools. This installment of
funds will also ease Vermont’s budget shortfall in ways that will make a
difference to Vermonters throughout the state’s budget."
Sanders said, "No one doubts
that our education system is in very serious trouble. Too many
students are not learning what we expect them to learn, and too many are
dropping out before they get a high school degree. We must accept
the basic principle that education is not an expense but an investment
in the future well-being of our nation."
Welch said, "Students and
teachers should not bear the brunt of this economic downturn. As
parents throughout Vermont wonder whether their local schools will have
the resources to educate their children, these funds signal a solid
commitment to quality education."
The Delegation released this
summary of the education and fiscal stabilization grants to Vermont
under this first-half installment of the education grants that will come
to the state:
· $12.8 million for Title I
Grants under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, which will
be distributed to schools and school districts with high percentages
of students from low-income families.
· $12.8 million in IDEA
Part B grants to states, $458,150 to IDEA Part B Preschool Grants,
and $1.06 million to IDEA Part C Grants to Infants and Families.
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA)
grants are targeted to help special education students in Vermont
schools.
· $900,000 for Vocational
Rehabilitation programs will be used to provide training,
assistance, and ongoing support to help persons with disabilities
find employment in Vermont.
· $242,913 for the
Vermont Center for Independent Living, which works to promote the
independence and rights of Vermonters with disabilities.
· $63.1 million for the
State Fiscal Stabilization Fund; 81.8 percent of these funds must be
used for elementary, secondary and postsecondary education, and, as
applicable, for early childhood education programs and services.
The remainder of these funds may be used to support other essential
governmental services such as public safety.
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