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State Senator Toni Boucher (R-26) welcomed the report
that Connecticut towns and cities, including those in
her district, have been awarded federal stimulus funds
to improve local special education programs.
When announcing this funding, Governor M. Jodi Rell
noted that this federal money will be used to address
critical special education needs in local schools, and
put money back into our economy through the purchase
of equipment and the hiring of staff. Governor Rell
said: “Municipalities and school districts are
operating with bare-bones budgets in this recession
and these funds will certainly provide some relief without
having to shift the burden to local taxpayers. The flexibility
of these grants will allow most districts to use some
of the funds to offset local costs in other education
programs.”
“News of this funding is very welcome, especially
now during this difficult economic time for our cities
and towns,” said Senator Boucher. She also cautioned
that these grants are one time occurrences and that
towns should plan accordingly for future years
The special education grants are offered through the
U.S. Department of Education through the American Recovery
and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). The funds are awarded
through a formula grant application administered by
the state Department of Education. The funding is from
the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education
Act (IDEA). As the nation's special education law, IDEA
serves approximately 6.8 million children and youth
with disabilities.
Following is the list of federal stimulus grants for
area communities, designated IDEA Part B and Federal
Preschool Final ARRA Entitlements.
| |
IDEA PART B |
PRESCHOOL |
Town |
ARRA |
ARRA |
BETHEL |
616,198 |
24,382 |
| NEW CANAAN |
976,385 |
38,651 |
REDDING |
277,394 |
11,047 |
RIDGEFIELD |
1,117,634 |
44,243 |
WESTON |
466,436 |
18,466 |
WESTPORT |
1,210,295 |
47,910 |
| WILTON |
881,041 |
34,881 |
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