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Source: Grant Tribune Sentinel
Nebraska’s Senator Ben Nelson welcomed a recent announcement by the U.S. Department of Education that $47.8 million in stimulus funding will be added to existing Title 1 funds being made available to school districts across the state for a total $115 million investment.
Perkins County Schools and Wallace School are among districts that will receive the assistance.
“These stimulus funds will help Nebraska school districts meet the needs of their students in the midst of funding problems brought on by the economic downturn,” said Nelson. “A quality education serves as the foundation for a prosperous and successful future. By ensuring continued funding for financially strapped schools, these stimulus funds are being put to good use.”
The funds are being made available as part of the Title I program, which provide financial assistance to local educational agencies for services that improve the teaching and learning of children at risk of not meeting challenging State academic achievement standards, especially those children who reside in areas with high concentrations of children from low-income families.
The funds are distributed using four formulas: basic grants, concentration grants, targeted grants, and education finance incentive grants. Each formula uses specific criteria such as the number of students, families above and below the poverty line, and number of children in foster homes to determine the amount of the funding.
The funds are part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) investment, also known as the stimulus bill. Perkins County Schools will receive $55,894 and Wallace gets $15,620.
Other schools in the region receiving stimulus funds include: Chase County Schools ($33,182), Dundy County Public Schools ($65,519), Hershey Public Schools ($30,241), Ogallala Public Schools ($101,524), Paxton Consolidated Schools ($28,423), Sutherland Public Schools ($25,968).
Senator Nelson played a key role in the passage of the $787 billion stimulus bill. He worked with a bipartisan group of nearly 20 senators to better focus The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act on tax cuts for the middle class and job creation for millions of Americans.
Senator Nelson led the group through the initial bill line by line, dollar by dollar, to reduce spending and cut out $108 billion of inefficient or less-stimulative spending. The bipartisan group helped the improved bill win congressional approval. President Obama signed it into law Feb. 17, 2009.
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