MASC

Governor Deval Patrick today allocated $204 million from the federal Education Jobs Fund to school districts across the Commonwealth.A combination of state and federal dollars totaling $4.07 billion will ensure all school districts receive more state aid - at least $25 per student - than they did last year. The new funding, which follows yesterday's announcement that Massachusetts secured $250 million in federal Race to the Top dollars, will support an estimated 2,700 teaching positions. On Tuesday, August 10th, President Obama signed the Education Jobs Fund into law, providing $26 billion nationwide to preserve jobs for teachers and other school-based employees. The Commonwealth's $204 million appropriation will be directly distributed to school districts through the state's education funding formula and combined with state and federal funds to ensure that every school district across the state meets its foundation level budget for the 2010-2011 school year. With this new infusion of federal funding, the Governor is able to fully fund Chapter 70 without the need to use about $60 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds available for general government purposes.

Governor Patrick made the announcement at Normandin Middle School in New Bedford where the school district will utilize the new state and federal funding to support 82 teaching positions. New Bedford will receive a total of more than $113 million in combined Chapter 70 and federal funding this academic year, including more than $6 million from the Education Jobs Fund. For a complete list funding awards under today's announcement click here.