Although school divisions in Central Virginia have cut their budgets for the coming school year to cope with lower state and local revenues, they are undoubtedly looking forward to a share of the state’s federal stimulus money to save jobs.
The persistently lagging economy has taught most school administrators that if they have to, they can operate with less money. The difficult lesson of the past year is that the schools have learned that money is not always the answer to what they see as problems facing them.
More efficient use of money for schools will help the taxpayers both now and in the years ahead.
Nonetheless, Virginia is expected to get $249.5 million for public education under a new federal law intended to help states avert layoffs. The money will help school systems hire, rehire or retain teachers. Many systems, however, have made changes necessary to operate with less money, including eliminating some positions.
The U.S. Department of Education says the money is intended to save 3,800 Virginia school employee jobs. Those are jobs that not only help the local economy, but they will help the schools do a better job of teaching the leaders of tomorrow.
School officials around the state said last week that it is still too soon to tell how much local systems will receive through the new law, which has been signed by President Barack Obama.
As The Associated Press reported, states can distribute the education money the same way they allocate direct aid to school divisions. Or they can do so based on districts’ proportional share of federal Title I grants, which target schools with high concentrations of low-income students.
States must apply to the federal education department within 30 days of when the law took effect. Funds must be awarded to the states with approved applications within 45 days of enactment.
The new federal aid should come as a boost to school divisions, including most in Central Virginia that have seen state funding and local real estate tax revenues drop in the past year. Those systems have trimmed their budgets accordingly by laying off employees and leaving positions unfilled.
Under the law, the federal aid can be used only for compensation and benefits and other expenses related to hiring, retaining or rehiring school employees. The money cannot be used for general administrative expenses.
The localities can surely use the money to rehire or retain teachers and others whose jobs were eliminated in the budget cuts of last spring. Let’s hope they use it wisely and not as a catch-all for new budget problems that crop up during the coming school year.
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