Senator Boucher Applauds Stimulus Funding For Special Education

September 23, 2009

State Senator Toni Boucher (R-26) welcomed the report that Connecticut towns and cities, including those in her district, have been awarded federal stimulus funds to improve local special education programs.

When announcing this funding, Governor M. Jodi Rell noted that this federal money will be used to address critical special education needs in local schools, and put money back into our economy through the purchase of equipment and the hiring of staff. Governor Rell said: “Municipalities and school districts are operating with bare-bones budgets in this recession and these funds will certainly provide some relief without having to shift the burden to local taxpayers. The flexibility of these grants will allow most districts to use some of the funds to offset local costs in other education programs.”

“News of this funding is very welcome, especially now during this difficult economic time for our cities and towns,” said Senator Boucher. She also cautioned that these grants are one time occurrences and that towns should plan accordingly for future years

The special education grants are offered through the U.S. Department of Education through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). The funds are awarded through a formula grant application administered by the state Department of Education. The funding is from the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). As the nation’s special education law, IDEA serves approximately 6.8 million children and youth with disabilities.

Following is the list of federal stimulus grants for area communities, designated IDEA Part B and Federal Preschool Final ARRA

 

IDEA PART B 

PRESCHOOL

Town

ARRA

ARRA

BETHEL

616,198

24,382

NEW CANAAN

976,385

38,651

REDDING   

277,394

11,047

RIDGEFIELD

1,117,634

44,243

WESTON   

466,436

18,466

WESTPORT  

1,210,295 

47,910

WILTON    

881,041

34,881