ED issues rules on ed-tech stimulus funds

The Department of Education has issued new guidance to help states and school systems use ed-tech stimulus funding to drive lasting education reforms and improve student achievement. The guidance is critical, largely because, as the report states, the funding "will likely not be available at the same level beyond September 30, 2011." Therefore, states must be prudent and efficient, making sure to "focus these funds on short-terms investment with the potential for long-term benefits, rather than make ongoing commitments that they might not be able to sustain once [stimulus] funds are expended." The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) provides a total of $650 million in additional funding for the Enhancing Education Through Technology (EETT) program for fiscal years 2009 and 2010. These ed-tech stimulus dollars are a one-time source of funds that supplement the approximately $265 million in EETT funding made available under regular FY2009 appropriations.