According to the preliminary documentation shared in the below press release from Governor Strickland’s office – the Toledo Public Schools will receive an allocation of $7 ,606,855 out of the $361,179,690.
The money is limited to what it can be spent on – from the Department of Education website:
D-1. For what purposes may an LEA use its Ed Jobs funds?
An LEA must use its funds only for compensation and benefits and other expenses, such as support services, necessary to retain existing employees, to recall or rehire former employees, and to hire new employees, in order to provide early childhood, elementary, or secondary educational and related services.
D-2. What categories of expenses may an LEA support with Ed Jobs funds?
For purposes of this program, the phrase “compensation and benefits and other expenses, such as support services” includes, among other things, salaries, performance bonuses, health insurance, retirement benefits, incentives for early retirement, pension fund contributions, tuition reimbursement, student loan repayment assistance, transportation subsidies, and reimbursement for childcare expenses.
D-3. Which employees may an LEA support with Ed Jobs funds?
An LEA may use the funds to pay the salaries of teachers and other employees who provide school-level educational and related services. In addition to teachers, employees supported with program funds may include, among others, principals, assistant principals, academic coaches, in-service teacher trainers, classroom aides, counselors, librarians, secretaries, social workers, psychologists, interpreters, physical therapists, speech therapists, occupational therapists, information technology personnel, nurses, athletic coaches, security officers, custodians, maintenance workers, bus drivers, and cafeteria workers.
Governor, Superintendent Announce Planned Distribution of Federal Education Jobs Resources
Columbus, Ohio – Ohio Governor Ted Strickland and Ohio Department of Education Superintendent of Public Instruction Deborah Delisle today announced the planned distribution of federal education jobs resources to rehire, retain, create and invest in teachers’ and other school building-related service jobs.
“One of the reasons I believe in Ohio is because of the strength of our teachers. Nothing is more central to the success of our students than the quality of teachers in the classroom,” Strickland said. “That’s why we have enacted the most rigorous teacher training program in the country, and why we are utilizing these federal resources to keep our teachers doing what they do best.”
Ohio will be utilizing the state’s primary funding formula, which includes the Ohio Evidence-Based Model, as the method for allocating funds to community schools and school districts. This is the same method used to distribute State Fiscal Stabilization Funds for Education provided to states as a part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
“Funding from the Ed Jobs program will enable Ohio schools to retain our most valuable educational resource, our teachers, in the classroom and preserve other education jobs that support our students,” Delisle said. “ODE will ensure these funds flow quickly to enable school leaders to make the best decisions for their schools. The flexibility of the program allows schools to carryover funds into next year, providing additional stability and security.”
According to the U.S. Department of Education, Ohio will be joining the 20 states that have submitted applications – all of which are planning to distribute these resources based on its state school funding formula.
The Strickland Administration will be submitting its application to the U.S. Department of Education soon, and funds will be awarded to the state approximately two weeks after an approvable application is submitted.
The State must “pass through” these resources in the current fiscal year, but local schools have the ability to decide for themselves when the resources are used as long as the funds are budgeted for by September 2012. The federal law specifies that the money be used for salaries and benefits for hiring, rehiring, retaining teachers and others supporting the daily education of Ohio’s students. The statute prohibits using funds for general administration.
Ohio will receive $361,179,690 from this $10 billion national investment in education. A district-by-district breakdown of funding allocation can be found here.
