$70 Million in ARRA Funds for North Dakota Education

June 23, 2009 -- Washington – Senators Kent Conrad and Byron Dorgan and Congressman Earl Pomeroy announced today that North Dakota will receive more than $70 million in federal funding to give a boost to schools across the state that are at risk of teacher shortages and budget cuts.

“These funds will enable our schools to attract the best teachers and keep them on staff to ensure that North Dakota’s children continue to receive the quality education they need and deserve,” the delegation said.

“The $70 million North Dakota will receive today is part of the single largest boost in education funding in recent history,” said Arne Duncan, U.S. Secretary of Education. “North Dakota can now utilize these funds to save jobs and lay the groundwork for a generation of education reform.”

The funding was received as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, and North Dakota will be eligible to apply for another $34.6 million for education funding this fall. To date, North Dakota has received $31 million in education stimulus funds—representing a combination of funding for Title I, IDEA, Vocational Rehabilitation Grants, Independent Living Grants and Impact Aid.

In order to receive today’s funds, North Dakota provided assurances that it will collect, publish, analyze and act on basic information regarding the quality of classroom teachers, annual student improvements, college readiness, the effectiveness of state standards and assessments, progress on removing charter caps and interventions in turning around underperforming schools.

The grant was awarded by the U.S. Department of Education with funds appropriated by Congress.

Source: Senator Kent Conrad