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Economic Stimulus - American Recovery and Reinvestment Act

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act more than doubled federal funding of special education and early intervention programs. This historic $787 billion stimulus package invested over $100 billion into education, including $12.2 billion for IDEA. This unprecedented investment is the culmination of decades of advocacy and leadership by CEC, its members, and the education and disability communities. Our next challenge is to spend these funds wisely and demonstrate their effectiveness.

Economic Stimulus Resources

CEC has created several resources to help you understand ARRA, including a Q & A, a PowerPoint, and suggestions for how to wisely invest ARRA funds. Below are links to all CEC resources and others from the U.S. Dept. of Education and the White House, which CEC believes are most useful.

Funding

• Summary Chart of Education Funding in ARRA—Summary showing the allocation of all education funding in ARRA and listing what each program received.
• Charts provided by the U.S. Dept. of Education showing the amounts that states and districts will receive:
  • FY 2009 Allocations Chart: Part B
  • FY 2009 Allocation Chart: Part B 619
  • State Allocation Tables

Use of Funds

• Wise Investment of ARRA Funds—CEC developed these suggestions, keeping in mind that ARRA funding ends on Sept. 30, 2011.  To maintain this investment, CEC will need to prove to Congress, the president, and the nation that the education community invested these dollars wisely in sustainable endeavors and that students with disabilities benefited. CEC needs your help in accomplishing this; please take our short survey and let us know how ARRA is impacting you.
• Department of Education’s ideas for spending ARRA funds
• Letter to Secretary Arne Duncan—CEC expressed appreciation for the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds and also highlighted our members' efforts to use the funds in a sustainable and capacity-building way.
• CEC Urges Education Dept. to Make Key Changes to School Reform Program—CEC has recommended changes to the U.S. Dept. of Education’s School Improvement Grant Program -- the $3.5 billion reform program targeting the nation’s lowest-achieving schools -- including shifting the punitive tone of the program to one that supports strategies for more positive school reform. 
• CEC Responds to "Investing in Innovation" Grant Proposal—CEC urges the U.S. Department of Education to better include IDEA early intervention and preschool programs, Universal Design for Learning principals, and students with gifts and talents in its "Investing in Innovation" grant proposal. 
• CEC Testifies on Critical Elements of Assessments for Students with Disabilities—On Nov. 18, CEC testified before the U.S. Department of Education’s Race to the Top Assessment Panel about the design and implementation of assessments that are accessible, meaningful, and of high quality for students with disabilities and special education professionals. CEC will submit extended comments in the near future.
  

Background

• Historical Perspective
• White House Press Release on ARRA and Its Impact on Education

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act 2009

• Questions & Answers (UPDATED Apr. 2009)—In-depth Q & A about ARRA funds. Includes a detailed discussion of the Maintenance of Effort Adjustment and Supplement Not Supplant implications and the State Fiscal Stabilization Fund.
• PowerPoint on the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (UPDATED Apr. 2009)—Comprehensive PowerPoint including all portions of ARRA special education funding. Discussion of the Maintenance of Effort Adjustment, State Fiscal Stabilization Funds, and implications for Supplement Not Supplant provisions. Presented at CEC’s Annual Convention & Expo in Seattle.
• Full Text—Go straight to the source! Search the text of the act to find the answers for yourself.
• U.S. Department of Education ARRA Resource Webpage
• www.recovery.gov
• www.whitehouse.gov