Arizona Education Stimulus
Recovery & Reinvestment Act for education in the state of Arizona
Summary
Arizona will receive education-related funding from the American Recovery and Reinvesting Act of 2009 (ARRA), through two principal avenues:
- $185 million to be distributed through the U.S. Department of Education.
- $1 billion through the State Fiscal Stabilization Funds. These funds go directly to governors to use for what they determine to be "critical services", which can include funds to public colleges and universities and local school districts for financial aid and operating costs. Governors can also direct money from this fund to private colleges and universities to modernize facilities or for other purposes.
Arizona Education Stimulus Breakdown
Higher Education Funds
The educational stimulus package includes a variety of higher education and vocational training funds and grants for Arizona:
- An increase in 2009 Pell Grant funding of $136.7 million over 2008 funds. The 125,000 current Pell Grant recipients in Arizona will receive an increase in the average award for the 2009-10 academic year from $3400 to $3,850.
- An additional $2.2 million for student financial assistance through grants to institutions to assist in the operation of work-study programs under the Higher Education Act.
- $178.5 million for Special Education Part B State Grants to help improve educational outcomes for individuals with disabilities.
- $11.6 million in education technology funds to purchase up-to-date computers and software and provide professional development.
- $246.2 million for Title I Education for the Disadvantaged.
Arizona's higher education students and institutions are also eligible to apply for the following grants funded by the stimulus package:
Community College and Career Training Grants
An institution in Arizona is eligible for only one grant, not to exceed $1,000,000, by demonstrating that it has reached out to employers to try to identify gaps in existing training opportunities within the community.
Teacher Certification and Training
Grants to enhance teacher quality are available Arizona schools and eligible partnerships on a competitive basis.
Education and Human Resources
Provides grants for universities and colleges to attract math and science teachers, and grants to improve math and science in K-12 schools in Arizona.
Health Professional Training Program
Provides funding for the National Health Services Corporation (NHSC), which recruits and trains health professionals to deliver health care in underserved communities in Arizona.
Demonstration Program to Integrate Information Technology into Clinical Education
Provides grants to medical schools and graduate schools in Arizona to carryout demonstration projects and develop academic criteria integrating EHR technology in the clinical education of health professionals.
Education tax credits
The education stimulus package also includes the American Opportunity Tax Credit. This modifies the federal higher-education tax credit established in 1997, which benefited middle-income students by offsetting their tax liability. The new credit is “refundable,” so lower-income households in Arizona that have limited or no federal income tax liability can now receive a partial credit in the form of a tax “refund" of up to 40 percent of qualifying expenses for a maximum refund of $1,000. This will potentially benefit 75,000 more students in Arizona.
Stimulus Breakdown (2008 vs. 2009)
City Specific Data - Where the money is going
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