Texas Education Stimulus

Summary

Texas will receive education-related funding from the American Recovery and Reinvesting Act of 2009 (ARRA), through two principal avenues:

• $6.04 billion to be distributed through the U.S. Department of Education.
• $3.97 billion through the State Fiscal Stabilization Funds. The governor of Texas can use these funds for "critical services", which can include funds to public colleges and universities and local school districts in Texas for financial aid and operating costs. The governor can also direct money from this fund to private colleges and universities in Texas to modernize facilities or for other purposes.

Texas Education Stimulus Breakdown

Higher Education Funds

The educational stimulus package includes a variety of higher education and vocational training funds and grants for Texas:

• An increase in 2009 Pell Grant funding of $522.5 million over 2008 funds. The 515,000 current Pell Grant recipients in Texas will receive an increase in the average award for the 2009-10 academic year from $3400 to $3,850.
• An additional $10.6 million for student financial assistance through grants to institutions to assist in the operation of work-study programs under the Higher Education Act.
• $945.6 million for Special Education Part B State Grants to help improve educational outcomes for individuals with disabilities.
• $57.7 million in education technology funds to purchase up-to-date computers and software and provide professional development.
• $1.2 billion for Title I Education for the Disadvantaged.

Texas'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 Texas 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 Texas and eligible partnerships on a competitive basis.

Education and Human Resources

Provides grants for colleges and universities in Texas 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.

Demonstration Program to Integrate Information Technology into Clinical Education

Provides grants to medical schools and medical related graduate schools in Texas to carryout demonstration projects and develop academic criteria integrating EHR 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 Texas by offsetting their tax liability. The new credit is “refundable,” meaning that lower-income households in Texas 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 87,000 more students in Texas.

Stimulus Breakdown (2008 vs. 2009)

City Specific Data - Where the money is going

Arlington Provide Additional Classroom Technology (Scanners, Cameras, Document Cameras) Arlington Provide Graphing Calculators For Math Classrooms Arlington Provide Science Probeware Equipment For Science Classrooms Arlington Replacement Of Old Printers With New Equipment Arlington Upgrade/Repair Auditorium At Hutcheson Jh Arlington Provide A New Student Management System To Provide Better Access To Data For District Decision Making Arlington Provide Updated Technology To Career And Technology Classrooms Arlington Replacement Of Older Network Equipment And File Servers With New Equipment Arlington Provide Additional Computer Lab Access Via Laptop Computers To Each Campus Arlington Replacement Of 7,8 And 9 Year Old Computers With New Equipment Arlington Upgrade And Modernize Electrical Systems At 5 Schools Arlington Replace/Repair Worn Competition Tracks Arlington Purchase And Installation Of Projections Systems In Each Aisd Classroom To Improve Instruction Arlington Structural Repairs (Roofs, Foundation, Brick) At Arlington Hs Gym B, Workman Jh, Blanton Elem. And Thornton Elem. Arlington Construct 12 New Science Labs To Meet New State-Mandated Curriculum Requirement That Students Have 4 Credits In Science Arlington Upgrade Old Hvac Equipment With Energy-Efficient Equipment At 28 Schools Austin Austin Independent School District - Health And Safety-Related Renovations And Repairs - 15 Schools Austin Austin Independent School District - Heating, Ventilation And Air-Conditioning - 4 Schools Austin Austin Independent School District - Campus Renovations - 3 Schools Austin Austin Independent School District - Providing Access For Low Income Students To Broadband Communications From Home Austin Austin Independent School District - Upgrading Classroom Technology Austin Austin Independent School District - Roofing Repairs - 4 Schools Austin Austin Safe Routes To School Supplemental Funding: Monies Will Be Spent To Supplement City/School Infrastructure Monies Austin Austin Independent School District - Electrical Power Load Balancing - 35 Schools, 1 Facility Baytown Provide Public Shelter Mitigation Renovation For Four Local Schools To Provide Increased Resistance To Damage And The Emergency Use As Employee And Public Shelters. This Includes Generators, Rated Window Protection And Roof Hardening. Many Of The Improve Bedford New Library Building Clarksville Modernization Of The High School, Middle School And Elementary Schools Del Rio Sports Complex Del Rio High School Green Design Del Rio Sfcisd Technology Program Laredo Tamiu Side Walk Projects Laredo Alternate Entrance (Tamiu) Laredo Completion Of Loop Road(Tamiu) Laredo Historic Housing(Lcc Main) Laredo Portable Buildings (Lcc Main) Laredo Athletic Field Improvements(Lcc Main) Laredo Infrastructure(Lcc Main) Laredo South Campus Improvments (Lcc South) Laredo Historic Buildings(Lcc Main) Laredo New Construction Buildings(Lcc Main) Laredo Instructional Buildings(Lcc Main) Port Aransas Update Computer Labs And Servers Port Aransas Retrofit Buildings For Energy Efficiency Winnsboro Classroom Technology Winnsboro Business Incubator Developmnet Winnsboro Restoration Of Or New Development Of All School Buildings