Gulf Coast Districts Get Restart Aid, But Ask Whether It Will Be Enough

$750 million is targeted to help schools resume operating.

Gulf Coast school districts teetering on the brink of financial disaster after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita struck last year have high hopes for the pot of federal aid intended to help them recoup money they used to get up and running again. But many have yet to see the funds, and others say it won’t be enough.

The federal government has channeled $750 million of so-called restart aid to Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas, and Alabama—the states with schools that in some cases were flattened by the winds, rain, and flooding the two hurricanes unleashed. The restart aid is distinct from the $645 million in what is called impact aid for states where hurricane-displaced students are being educated this school year, which those four states qualify for as well. ( "Schools Get Katrina Aid, Uncertainty," this issue.)

The U.S. Department of Education has already funneled the restart money to the four states. Districts in Mississippi have received it, but some in Louisiana, Texas, and Alabama were still waiting late last week for the...