|
 But some states
could spend the money on playground equipment or wallpaper and the
president might not have the authority to stop them.
Over two years, Illinois will get about $1 billion in federal grants
such as special education and Title I, which provides grants for
low-income schools, according to the Illinois State Board of
Education.
About $2 billion more will supplement state funding for education
programs, allowing
Gov. Pat Quinn
to increase overall funding for elementary and secondary and higher
education by about $214 million in his proposed budget, state
officials said.
Included in that
money will be $800 million to pay schools this year for backlogged
bills the state hasn't paid.
Nearly all the money for education in the Recovery Act is designed
to retain teachers, Obama says. Education Secretary
Arne Duncan
has threatened to "come down like a ton of bricks" on anyone who
defies the administration's plans to bring relief to states that face
layoffs because of budget cuts.
But the money could go in other directions, particularly in states
with Republican governors.
[Associated Press]
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This
material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or
redistributed. |
