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09/20/10

Education Jobs Bill money to ease loss of short-term federal funding

A $141,000 safeguard against a possible school budget curtailment, and replacement of roughly one-third of the $925,000 federal stimulus funding that will not be available in fiscal 2012, are chief among Cape Elizabeth's plans for $583,260 anticipated from the federal Education Jobs Bill.

The $583,260 allocation is based on state education funding for 2010-2011, and is Cape Elizabeth's share of the nearly $39 million Maine has applied for from the Education Jobs and Medicaid Assistance Act.

The funds are earmarked for retaining or creating jobs, and must be used before the end of fiscal 2012.

At a special meeting Sept. 7, 2010, the School Board voted to divide use of the funds between this fiscal year and next:

School Superintendnent Alan Hawkins said there is no certainty of a state-funding curtailment during this fiscal year, "but what we did do was put some of the money aside in case that does happen," he said at the Sept. 14 School Board meeting. "If that doesn't happen, that money will be transferred into the Fiscal '12 budget," he said.

The one and one-half time instructional support paraprofessionals (ed techs) for this school year meets a need that was realized over the summer, Hawkins said. The $50,000 for course reimbursement is also allowed under the jobs bill, and is a line that has been cut over the years in order to retain teacher positions, Hawkins said.

Cape Elizabeth's application for federal jobs bill funding was submitted Sept. 8, two days before the deadline, "with the understanding that we could make adjustments if we need to make them as we move along," Hawkins said.

Cape Elizabeth received $925,720 in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (federal stimulus) funds for fiscal 2011.