Special Report
Education Funding News in Brief

Administrators Detail Spending From Stimulus

By Dakarai I. Aarons — September 01, 2009 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

Using federal economic-stimulus money for innovative school reform while also trying avoid to layoffs seems more pipe dream than reality, according to a study released last week by the American Association of School Administrators.

A total of 160 top district administrators from 37 states completed the 16-question online survey. Sixty-three percent described their districts as rural, 28 percent as suburban, and 9 percent as urban, the Arlington, Va.-based organization said.

State Stabilization Funds:The Top 5 Uses

BRIC ARCHIVE

SOURCE: American Association of School Administrators

The poll looked at how local districts have spent state stabilization money and the additional Title I and special education dollars received through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

A majority of administrators, 67 percent, said the share of the roughly $100 billion slated for education that they had received so far had primarily gone to backfill state and local budget cuts, or represented a marginal increase in their budgets.

Not only did administrators say that the inflexibility of requirements (districts have to follow federal regulations in spending) has hampered their ability to use the money in ways they think would best benefit their districts, but 53 percent said they were unable to avoid cutting core subjects and special education teaching positions, even using stimulus aid.

And while saving jobs is a major goal of the economic-stimulus law, enacted in February, superintendents said they were focusing more dollars on other, one-time costs to avoid the “funding cliff” when the money runs out in two years. Professional development was the top use for Title I and special education funds, followed by saving jobs and purchasing classroom technology.

School districts and states must account for stimulus spending separately from other sources, and leaders said that requirement adds to the amount of time spent on matters other than innovation and reform.

Related Tags:

A version of this article appeared in the September 02, 2009 edition of Education Week

Events

Jobs Virtual Career Fair for Teachers and K-12 Staff
Find teaching jobs and K-12 education jubs at the EdWeek Top School Jobs virtual career fair.
Mathematics K-12 Essentials Forum Helping Students Succeed in Math
Student Well-Being Live Online Discussion A Seat at the Table: The Power of Emotion Regulation to Drive K-12 Academic Performance and Wellbeing
Wish you could handle emotions better? Learn practical strategies with researcher Marc Brackett and host Peter DeWitt.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Education Funding Schools and States Scramble as Trump Freezes $6.8 Billion in Federal Funds
After-school programs, English-learner services, migrant education programs, and professional development are all at risk.
8 min read
President Donald Trump speaks to the media before walking across the South Lawn of the White House to board Marine One en route to Joint Base Andrews, Md., and on to Florida, Tuesday, July 1, 2025, in Washington.
President Donald Trump speaks to the media before walking across the South Lawn of the White House to board Marine One on Tuesday, July 1, 2025. Trump's administration has told states it's holding back nearly $7 billion in already-approved federal funds for schools, sending states and schools scrambling for more information.
Mark Schiefelbein/AP
Education Funding Education Department Restores COVID Funds For Schools—With Some Caveats
All state education agencies and school districts now have until March 2026 to finish spending COVID aid.
4 min read
Image of funding stream faucets and a hand controlling the flow.
iStock/Getty
Education Funding Trump May Soon Defy Congress and Cut $5 Billion More From Schools
Funding for migrant education, English-learner services, professional development, and after-school programming is at risk.
10 min read
Image of a slow-drip funding stream coming from a faucet.
gheatza/iStock/Getty
Education Funding 5 Ways Schools Are Directly Feeling the Federal Funding Chaos
Canceled grants, terminated contracts, and proposed cuts are sparking worries as districts plan future budgets.
6 min read
Image of money assembling block by block.
iStock/Getty