So it looks like school districts with crumbling infrastructures can look forward to an infusion of federal funds in the economic-stimulus package, which Congress is likely to approve in January.

President-elect Barack Obama’s incoming chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, told reporters on a plane from Philadelphia to Chicago today that money for school construction will be included in the legislation, since those projects are ready-to-go and, proponents argue, would help fuel job creation in cash-strapped states, as well as improve learning environments for kids.

No word yet on exactly what the school construction provisions might look like, but the House passed legislation earlier this year that would authorize money for states to make schools more energy efficient.