Special Report
Education Funding News in Brief

Administrators Detail Spending From Stimulus

By Dakarai I. Aarons — September 01, 2009 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

Using federal economic-stimulus money for innovative school reform while also trying avoid to layoffs seems more pipe dream than reality, according to a study released last week by the American Association of School Administrators.

A total of 160 top district administrators from 37 states completed the 16-question online survey. Sixty-three percent described their districts as rural, 28 percent as suburban, and 9 percent as urban, the Arlington, Va.-based organization said.

State Stabilization Funds:The Top 5 Uses

BRIC ARCHIVE

SOURCE: American Association of School Administrators

The poll looked at how local districts have spent state stabilization money and the additional Title I and special education dollars received through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

A majority of administrators, 67 percent, said the share of the roughly $100 billion slated for education that they had received so far had primarily gone to backfill state and local budget cuts, or represented a marginal increase in their budgets.

Not only did administrators say that the inflexibility of requirements (districts have to follow federal regulations in spending) has hampered their ability to use the money in ways they think would best benefit their districts, but 53 percent said they were unable to avoid cutting core subjects and special education teaching positions, even using stimulus aid.

And while saving jobs is a major goal of the economic-stimulus law, enacted in February, superintendents said they were focusing more dollars on other, one-time costs to avoid the “funding cliff” when the money runs out in two years. Professional development was the top use for Title I and special education funds, followed by saving jobs and purchasing classroom technology.

School districts and states must account for stimulus spending separately from other sources, and leaders said that requirement adds to the amount of time spent on matters other than innovation and reform.

Related Tags:

A version of this article appeared in the September 02, 2009 edition of Education Week

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Assessment Webinar
Reflections on Evidence-Based Grading Practices: What We Learned for Next Year
Get real insights on evidence-based grading from K-12 leaders.
Content provided by Otus
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Student Well-Being Webinar
Creating Resilient Schools with a Trauma-Responsive MTSS
Join us to learn how school leaders are building a trauma-responsive MTSS to support students & improve school outcomes.
School & District Management Live Online Discussion A Seat at the Table: We Can’t Engage Students If They Aren’t Here: Strategies to Address the Absenteeism Conundrum
Absenteeism rates are growing fast. Join Peter DeWitt and experts to learn how to re-engage students & families.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Education Funding States Get Antsy as Education Department Layoffs Delay Millions for Schools
Reimbursements for federal education aid are weeks late, according to state chiefs.
7 min read
Illustration of a clock and it's shadow is an hourglass with the symbol of money in the sand.
DigitalVision Vectors
Education Funding What the Latest Federal Funding Law Means for Schools
The new federal spending resolution leaves the door open for continued disruption to federal education funding.
6 min read
Broken and repaired: 3D symbol of a Dollar.
Education Week and Getty
Education Funding Trump Admin. Ordered to Temporarily Restore Teacher-Prep Grants in 8 States
A federal judge chided the Trump administration for offering what amounted to "no explanation at all" for terminating the grants.
4 min read
California Attorney General Rob Bonta speaks at a press conference to announce a lawsuit against the Trump administration over budget cuts to teaching training funds, at the Ronald Reagan Federal Building on Thursday, March 6, 2025, in Los Angeles.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta announces a lawsuit against the Trump administration over the cancellation of teacher-training grants on March 6, 2025, in Los Angeles. A judge on March 10 ordered the temporary reinstatement of the funds in California and seven other states.
Juliana Yamada/Los Angeles Times via TNS
Education Funding Trump Axed $400M in Funds for Columbia. Could a School District Be Next?
One legal expert described the move as arbitrary: “How can you predict what arbitrary punishment may come your way?"
7 min read
Student protesters gather inside their encampment on Columbia University campus on April 29, 2024.
Student protesters gather inside an encampment on the Columbia University campus on April 29, 2024. The federal government has terminated $400 million in funds to the Ivy League university although investigations into alleged antisemitic harassment are continuing.
Stefan Jeremiah/AP