Economic Recovery and Reinvestment

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), Public Law 111-5, provides funding opportunities to public schools and libraries. Some are distributed by formula, while others take the form of competitive grants. In some cases, schools and libraries may compete with other entities for funding.

Late-breaking information     U.S. Department of Education overview     American Library Association page

Reporting, Accountability, and Transparency. To safeguard the use of ARRA's unprecedented short-term funding, the law also includes unprecedented requirements for accountability and transparency. Local education agencies must report to the DPI where the funds were spent and the number of jobs created or saved. The DPI must then report this information to the Wisconsin Office of Recovery and Reinvestment, which will report it both to the public, via website, and to the federal Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board.

Posting to fulfill state reporting requirements of ARRA's stabilization fund

FAQ - Reporting (Jan 4) FTE Calculator (Jan 19)
Reporting Title I, Part A School-level Expenditures (Dec 18)

All Programs Report from Wisconsin's Reporting Portal

Anyone knowing of fraud, waste, or abuse involving federal funds or programs should contact the Office of Inspector General (OIG). ARRA provides protections for certain individuals who make specified disclosures relating to Recovery Act funds. OIG Contacts and Whistleblower Protections

Program grants to Wisconsin schools, districts, and libraries:

• Broadband Fiber to K-12s and Libraries
• Educational Technology
• Homeless Children and Youth
• Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Part B
• Qualified School Construction Bonds
• Qualified Zone Academy Bonds
• Race to the Top
• School Lunch Equipment
• Teacher Incentive Fund
• Teacher Quality Partnership Grants
• Title I-A
• Title I School Improvement

• Clean Diesel funding from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
• Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grants from the U.S. Department of Energy
• Investing in Innovation - competitive grants for school districts and nonprofit agencies from the U.S. Department of Education
• Rural Community Facilities Programs - grants and loans from the U.S. Department of Agriculture

Additionally, Gov. Jim Doyle used much of the ARRA's State Fiscal Stabilization Fund to maintain and provide a slight increase to current PK-12 education funding levels in his 2009-11 budget. The governor is also leading Wisconsin's effort to win some of the federal Race to the Top funding.

• School Lunch Equipment Grants page includes federal guidance on state re-allocation of unobligated and uniquidated funds (Jan 27)
• The reporting section of this page now includes a link to a page fulfilling state reporting requirements of the fiscal stabilization fund. (Jan 21)
• Race to the Top State Application posted on Race to the Top page (Jan 19)
• Broadband Funding page provides information on second round of funding, including changes to help schools, libraries and other community anchor institutions. (Jan 19)
• IDEA page includes updated allowables document (Jan 11) and FAQ (Jan 10)
• Title I-A, School-level Expenditure Reporting page created (Dec 18)
• EETT page includes expected dates of next round of grants (Dec 7)
• Reporting area of this page includes FTE Calculator, updated FAQ (Dec 1) and Webinar (Dec 3)
• Federal Investing in Innovation grant program added to Other Funding Opportunities on this page (Oct 31)
• State Fiscal Stabilization Fund page created (Oct 29)
• Title I Part A page has updated guidance documents on Title I Part A-ARRA Waivers (Oct 15)
• News release and allocations for Qualified School Construction Bond and Qualified Zone Academy Bond programs posted (Aug 5)
• Teacher Incentive Fund page updated with new information from the U.S. Department of Education (Aug 4)
• Title I School Improvement Fund page updated with more information about the funding, which will be available in the fall of 2010. (Aug 4)
• Teacher Quality Partnership Grants page updated to include complete federal grant information, timeline, and other information (Jun 2)
• Homeless education application materials posted to EHCY Forms, Applications, and Guidance page. Related news release. (May 12)
• Early childhood strategies document suggests uses of ARRA funds (DPI) (May 6)

U.S. Department of Education page on the ARRA

American Library Association page on the ARRA

"Using ARRA Funds to Drive School Reform and Improvement" (U.S. Department of Education)

"Possible Coordinated Uses of ARRA Funds" (DPI)

DPI chart: ARRA funding compared to regular IDEA and Title I funding

DPI Letter to School Districts of March 31, 2009, about ARRA funding

Web-friendly version of the ARRA, from the Library of Congress (listed with other federal appropriations legislation; click on "P.L. 111-5")

Presentation from U.S. Department of Education

Education Recovery and Reinvestment Center at Learning Point Associates

Summary of the major education provisions of the ARRA, from the Council of Chief State School Officers

Last updated on 2/3/2010 5:02:24 PM