Iowa Gets $600 million for Education from Stimulus Bill

Tom Harkin spoke on Saturday at the DFA training where he stressed that it is time to invest in people through education and health care.

Later, Harkin held a press conference where he said Iowa will be recieving $600 million dollars for education from the stimulus.

The Des Moines Register outlined where that money will be spent...

State fiscal stabilization fund: $386.3 million for local school districts, public colleges and universities to help close budget shortfalls and make improvements.

Job training: $6.3 million for dislocated workers, $1.6 million for adult training, $5.2 million for youth training and $5.4 million for vocational rehabilitation to help disabled people prepare for and find employment.

Pell Grants: Increasing the maximum grant to $5,350, up from $4,860, providing additional grant aid to 113,000 Pell Grant recipients in Iowa.

Special education: $122.1 million for special education Part B state grants to help improve educational outcomes for disabled people. This will raise the federal contribution to nearly 40 percent, the level established when the law was authorized more than 30 years ago.

Title I: $65.6 million for Title 1 Education for the Disadvantaged to help close the achievement gap and enable vulnerable students to reach their potential.

Classroom technology: $3.2 million to purchase new computers and software, and for professional development to ensure that the technology is effectively used by students.

School construction: According to the White House, the plan provides funding sufficient to modernize at least 412 Iowa schools. Harkin's aides said a specific dollar figure for Iowa isn't available yet. Nationwide, the bill provides $23.4 billion in tax credit bonds for construction, rehabilitation or repair of school facilities.

Head Start: $5.3 million for Head Start programs in Iowa that provide development, educational, health, nutritional, social and other assistance to prepare children to succeed in school. In addition, $1.1 billion will be awarded nationwide on a competitive basis to new grantees for early Head Start expansion.