Federal funding is distributed to school districts in two ways: formula funds and competitive grants. If you are a public Montessori School or a Charter School you may qualify to receive money based on The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). 

Many of our products qualify to be funded under the ARRA stimulus funds. Visit our online store and click on the individual product to see which Federally funded sources may be used.

FORMULA FUNDS

School districts receive the bulk of their federal funding through formulas. The allocation is based on a per-student amount multiplied by the number of students who are eligible. Some examples of federal formula funds are below:

Title I, Part A - based on number of students living in poverty
Title III - based on number of English language learners
IDEA - based on number of students with disabilities

COMPETITIVE FUNDS

School districts that serve high-poverty populations are eligible for additional funding. To receive a competitive grant, districts must respond to a Request for Proposal and describe in detail how they would use the grant funding. Some examples of federal grants are below:

Early Reading First - focused on preschool literacy
Enhancing Education Through Technology (EETT) - focused on technology integration and professional development
21^st Century Community Learning Centers - focused on K-12 after school programs

ARRA RESOURCES

School districts will receive stimulus funding in several funding categories, including:  Title I, IDEA, School Improvement, Enhancing Education Through Technology, and the State Fiscal Stabilization fund.

Learn more about how these funds can be used by following the links provided.

Title I -      Title I Guidance     Title I ARRA Recovery Funds
Title III -   Title III Program Guidance
IDEA -        IDEA Program Guidance
Early Reading First -      Early Reading First Program Guidance     Early Reading First Eligibility List
Enhancing Education Through Technology (EETT) -      EETT Program Guidance
21^st Century Community Learning Centers -      21^st CCLC Program Guidance

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT ARRA

Will required district set-asides for Title I still apply for ARRA Title I funds?

Yes.  Districts with schools in need of improvement must set-aside the following amounts from their regular Title I funds, as well as their ARRA Title I funds.  However, states and school districts can apply for waivers for these set-aside requirements (p. 39 of Title I guidance).

When will the funds be distributed?

Half of the ARRA funds have already been distributed to states. The remaining funds will be distributed over the next six months.

Will all of the state fiscal stabilization funds be used for K-12 education?

A.  No.  Approximately $40 billion of the stabilization funds can be used to fill in the gaps for K-12 education and higher education.  Funds must be run through the existing education funding formula set up under state law.  The governor-controlled $8.8 billion funding can be used for “high-priority needs” and may include education if the governor chooses.

How will they determine how much funding goes to each district?

A. Much of the funding is based on Title I. So the more Title I funding a district has, the more funding they are likely to get from the stimulus package. To find out how much funding each school district is estimated to receive visit this site. 

Are charter schools eligible for stimulus funding? 

A. State law determines whether a charter school is considered a separate school district, or a school within a school district. If a charter school is considered by the state to be a separate school district, then they must receive ARRA funding on the same basis as other districts in the state. A charter school that is part of a traditional school district will not receive ARRA funds directly (p. 19 of Title I guidance).

Are private school eligible for stimulus funding?

A. Private school will not receive stimulus funding directly. However, the federal law requires school districts to provide equitable services to eligible private school children and their teachers and families under Title I and IDEA (p. 34 of Title I guidance). Districts are not required to provide equitable services with the State Fiscal Stabilization funds (p. 24 of SFS guidance).

How can ETC help my district?

A. Over the coming weeks, the Department of Education will release additional guidance on how the funds will be distributed. ETC Inc., will post additional information on this site as new information is released. ETC also provides many products and services that align to the stimulus package's funding categories. Contact us to find out how ETC can help your classroom.