South Carolina Education Stimulus
Recovery & Reinvestment Act for education in the state of South Carolina
Summary
South Carolina will receive education-related funding from the American Recovery and Reinvesting Act of 2009 (ARRA), through two principal avenues:
- $1.04 billion to be distributed through the U.S. Department of Education.
- $694 million through the State Fiscal Stabilization Funds. The governor of South Carolina can use these funds for "critical services", which can include funds to public colleges and universities and local school districts in South Carolina for financial aid and operating costs. The governor can also direct money from this fund to private colleges and universities in South Carolina to modernize facilities or for other purposes.
South Carolina Education Stimulus Breakdown
Higher Education Funds
The educational stimulus package includes a variety of higher education and vocational training funds and grants for South Carolina:
- An increase in 2009 Pell Grant funding of $22.1 million over 2008 funds. The 97,000 current Pell Grant recipients in South Carolina will receive an increase in the average award for the 2009-10 academic year from $3400 to $3,850.
- An additional $2.6 million for student financial assistance through grants to institutions to assist in the operation of work-study programs under the Higher Education Act.
- $173.6 million for Special Education Part B State Grants to help improve educational outcomes for individuals with disabilities.
- $9.4 million in education technology funds to purchase up-to-date computers and software and provide professional development.
- $191.2 million for Title I Education for the Disadvantaged.
South Carolina'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 South Carolina is eligible for only one grant, not to exceed $1,000,000, by demonstrating that it has reached out to employers to identify shortcomings in existing training opportunities within the community.
Teacher Certification and Training
Teacher quality enhancement grants are available to colleges and universities in South Carolina and eligible partnerships on a competitive basis.
Education and Human Resources
Provides grants for colleges and universities in South Carolina to attract math and science teachers, and grants to improve match and science in K-12 schools.
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 South Carolina.
Demonstration Program to Integrate Information Technology into Clinical Education
Provides grants to medical schools and medical related graduate schools in South Carolina to carryout demonstration projects and develop academic criteria integrating electronic health records technology in the clinical education of health professionals.
Education tax credits
The federal 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 in South Carolina by offsetting their tax liability. The new credit is “refundable,” meaning that lower-income households in South Carolina 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 58,000 more students in South Carolina.
Stimulus Breakdown (2008 vs. 2009)
City Specific Data - Where the money is going
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