The message, which went out Friday in documents e-mailed to governors, state education commissioners and thousands of school superintendents, provided the first broad guidelines for how the Education Department intends to channel $100 billion to the nation’s 14,000 school districts over the next few months. The expenditure is part of the Obama administration’s economic stimulus package.

Some $44 billion will be made available to states before the end of this month, Mr. Duncan said, in the hope that layoffs can be averted. Hundreds of thousands of job losses in schools had been projected for the fall because of growing state budget deficits caused by a steep drop in tax revenues.

More school stimulus money will be distributed in the spring through the fall, the documents said, after states apply for the financing and provide Congressionally mandated “assurances” to Mr. Duncan that they are complying with federal education laws.

“Spend funds quickly to save and create jobs,” a five-page guidance document sent to the education officials said. It also urged educators to use the money in the stimulus package, known as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, in ways that “improve school achievement through school improvement and reform.” It also warned them to keep records of expenditures.

The guidance admonished educators to spend the stimulus money, which is temporary, in ways that would minimize the dislocation that could follow when it ran out in two years. Some department officials are describing the exhaustion of the stimulus money in two years as a “cliff” over which school districts could plunge if they do not spend the money wisely.

The money to be made available to states this month includes $5 billion in Title I financing, for disadvantaged students; about $6 billion for disabled students; and about $33 billion in fiscal stabilization money, which governors are to use to replenish education programs slashed in recent years and to prevent cuts to state education budgets for the coming school year.

Software Providers for the Economic Stimulus Plan

The Department also wants to provide “new opportunities for Title I school wide programs for secondary school students to use high-quality, online courseware as supplemental learning materials for meeting mathematics and science requirements.”

U.S. Department of Education — Saturday, March 07, 2009
Education Department to Distribute $44 Billion in Stimulus Funds in 30 to 45 Days; $49 Billon More To Be Available Within 6 months

March 7, 2009 — U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan today announced that $44 billion in stimulus funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) will be available to states in the next 30 to 45 days. The first round of funding will help avert hundreds of thousands of estimated teacher layoffs in schools and school districts while driving crucial education improvements, reforms, and results for students. Read More…

New York Times – Tuesday, March 17, 2009

The Stimulus Plan: How to Spend $787 Billion

By FARHANA HOSSAIN, AMANDA COX, JOHN McGRATH and STEPHAN WEITBERG

A detailed look at the final package passed by Congress, based on estimates by House and Senate committees and the Congressional Budget Office. Read More…

International Herald Tribune – January 28, 2009

U.S. stimulus plan would provide flood of aid to education
By Sam Dillo

WASHINGTON: The economic stimulus plan that Congress has scheduled for a vote on Wednesday would shower the nation’s school districts, child care centers and university campuses with $150 billion in new federal spending, a vast two-year investment that would more than double the Department of Education’s current budget. Read More…

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Backbone Communications offers a wide range of research-based scientifically proven programs meeting the needs for Title I and  lining up with the 2009 Economic Stimulus Bill:

Educational Technology & Software Programs include:

Response to Intervention
Credit Recovery
Alternative Learning Environments
Universal Screening
GED® Preparation
College Readiness
Universal Screening.
Interactive Classroom Technology

KEY BENEFITS:

Cost-effective licensing with flexible delivery options
Detailed student progress reporting
Content that is directly linked to the Lexile Framework® for Reading
Forecast student performance on state achievement tests
Ideal for district-managed SES and EETT (E2T2) funded programs
Contact Us or Register for an onsite demonstration.

Exceptional times demand an exceptional education technology partner. Let us help you grow K–12 student achievement in your state and district.

As your education technology partner, we can maximize the effectiveness of your Title I program by helping you ensure that your students meet challenging academic achievement standards. Our A+ programs can assist you to remediate failing students and identify students who are at risk of failing.

We have been partnering with schools and districts for over 27 years and have a proven track record of turnaround success for students and schools across the country. Increasing student success is the key focus of our state-aligned assessments and courseware.

We offer a range of research-based A+ programs that meet your needs for Title I:

Response to Intervention
Credit Recovery
Alternative Learning Environments
Universal Screening
GED® Preparation
College Readiness
A+ programs provide these features:

Cost-effective licensing with flexible delivery options
Detailed student progress reporting
Content that is directly linked to the Lexile Framework® for Reading
Forecast student performance on state achievement tests
Ideal for district-managed SES and EETT (E2T2) funded programs

Also…

·         Expanding “fiscally sustainable extended learning opportunities” in targeted assistance schools, including before-school, after-school, during the summer, or extended school year.
·         “Providing new opportunities for Title I school wide programs for secondary school students to use high-quality, online courseware as supplemental learning materials for meeting mathematics and science requirements.”