Senator Tom Harkin Applauds Release Of $316 Million In Recovery Act Funds For Education Programs Across Iowa

June 1, 2009 -- Washington, DC – Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) today applauded Education Secretary Arne Duncan’s release of $316 million in education funding for Iowa. The funding was included in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the Economic Recovery package, and is part of the more than $400 million initial investment in education initiatives across the state.

Today’s funding is being made available per Iowa’s successful completion of Part 1 of the State Stabilization Application, which was made available on April 1st. The state will be eligible to apply for another $156 million this fall.

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The Recovery Package included the largest one-time investment in education in the nation’s history, almost $100 billion nationally. Harkin is the Chairman of the Senate panel that funds education programs.

“The release of these dollars will have an immediate impact on schools across the state by protecting teaching jobs and fighting cuts to local budgets,” said Harkin. “This funding will ensure Iowa students continue to thrive with the best teachers and materials available.”

To date, Iowa has received more than $94 million in education stimulus funds—representing a combination of funding for Title I, IDEA, Vocational Rehabilitation Grants and Independent Living Grants. On April 1st, Iowa received $26 million in Title I funding and $65 million in IDEA funding. This represents 50 percent of the Title I and IDEA funding Iowa is eligible for in total. On April 1st, Iowa also received nearly $3 million in Vocational Rehab funds and $621 thousand in Independent Living funds.

Source: Senator Tom Harkin