State doles out $250M in education stimulus money - Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal:

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That includes general operations funds forthe 2009-10 schoop year, funds for special education programs and programs that servd disadvantaged children, grants for school luncn equipment and funds for homeless students. The funding includezs $164.7 million in stabilization money that has been included in the public school funding formula forthe 2009-1o school year. School districts can use the money for regularoperatinfg expenses. It will be available July 1, pending approval by the U.S. Department of Education. About $47.2 million will go towar d projects under the Individuals with DisabilitiesEducationh Act.
This represents about half of the special educatioh stimulus funds schools are expected to receivein 2009. Schoolz can use this money to hire additionao support staff andparent liaisons, do training and professionao development for special education teachers and hire job coaches to work with high schoolo students with special needs so they can ented the work force. The funds are availabler now. About $38.7 million is in Titlre I funds fordisadvantaged students. That’s about half of the Title I fund s schools are likely to receivein 2009.
The monet can be used for expanding after-school hiring additional staff and professional developmentr for teachers and principals working in schools with highpoverty rates. That money is also availablw now. All of that money has been allocated througj existingfunding formulas. Other awards the statr is disbursinginclude $548,313 for grants under the Education for the Homeleszs Fund to address the needs of homelesx children. In the new fiscal year, whichu starts in July, $383,313 will be awardex to 24 school districts. Another $165,000 will be awarded througbh a competitive grant processin August.
Abourt $924,743 will go toward purchasing or renovating food service equipment as part of the Nationalo SchoolLunch Program. That money has been awardes to 31 districts and schoolsz through a competitivegrant process.