O.C. Schools Get $1.7 Million in Stimulus Money
July 23, 2010
Orange County public schools will receive $1.7 million in federal stimulus funds this month to improve technology in the classroom, the latest round of grant money to flow to local schools under President Barack Obama’s $787 billion stimulus package.
The Enhancing Education Through Technology grant is intended to integrate more technology into the curriculum and help ensure all students are technologically lite rate by eighth grade. California received $71.6 million total via this federal grant and is distributing about half of it now, with the remainder to be doled out later this year.
"In this high-tech age, teachers need the right tools to help prepare students for success in our competitive, global economy," state schools Superintendent Jack O’Connell said in a statement. "These funds will help schools integrate technology into their classrooms and train teachers to use these tools more effectively to enhance their students’ learning experience."
The $1.7 million is being awarded to Orange County school districts and charter schools based on the number of low-income students they serve; all 27 O.C. school districts are getting a slice.
The technology grant is just one small piece of some $5.9 billion in stimulus funding that California has received for K-12 schools under the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act.
The federal government has given California most of its share, and as of May, state education officials had formally distributed $3.9 billion of it to school districts and other education agencies, according to the state Department of Education.
The second half of the Enhancing Education Through Technology grant cannot be distributed to schools yet because lawmakers haven’t passed the state budget or authorized the money’s release, the state Department of Education said.
The following is a breakdown of the stimulus money California has received from the federal government, and how much of it has been released to schools through May.