Governor Rell: State Officially Awarded $110M

In Federal Funds To Support Local Education Jobs

Governor M. Jodi Rell announced that the U.S. Department of Education has officially notified her office today that Connecticut will receive $110.5 million to support public education jobs in all 169 municipalities. The announcement comes a week after the federal agency approved the state’s application.

“This is a relief for local school districts who have had been struggling through the recession with limited resources. They have had to make extremely difficult choices that included cutting teaching and other staff jobs,” Governor Rell said. “These funds will help restore and save about 1,500 jobs and put the focus where it belongs – in the classroom and on our children.”

The Governor said the $110.5 million will be disbursed as grants through the Education Cost Sharing (ECS) formula to ensure that every school district in the state receive a portion. The federal agency required that states have an effective system for managing the flow of funds to ensure that school districts are able to draw down the funds as needed. The ECS grant program, administered by the state Department of Education, is already in place and will allow for a seamless payment method.

Federal guidelines give school districts the flexibility to use the funds to pay for salaries and benefits of teacher and support staff, such as custodians, bus drivers, administrative staff and others. Schools can also use the money to rehire teachers and employees that have been laid off. State Education officials say local districts can begin receiving their grants within the next several days.