Harford County Public Schools will get a present from Washington, D.C.: $13.7 million in federal stimulus money for fiscal years 2010 and 2011.

School officials announced at Monday’s board of education meeting that they will receive the federal stimulus money through the American Recovery and Investment Act and, in doing so, will avoid possible budget reductions.

Of the $13.7 million, the school system will use $7.9 million in fiscal year 2010 and the remainder of the funding in fiscal year 2011.

The federal stimulus money will be a part of the school system’s restricted fund, which will limit the use of the money as per federal guidelines and will require rigorous quarterly reporting on the funds.

“With all of the issues with stimulus money, you might ask why would we accept it,” Interim Superintendent Pat Skebeck said. “If we don’t accept, we lose Title 1 money,” which the federal government gives local school systems to aid them in serving students from low income families.

Skebeck said the school system found itself backed into a corner with the federal stimulus money — if it declined the offer it would face an additional $3.5 million cut to the Title 1 budget.

“We wouldn’t get that if we don’t take the federal stimulus money,” Skebeck said. “That’s really one of the reasons why we feel we need to look at this very carefully.”

As part of the American Recovery and Investment Act, or ARRA, the school system is receiving a total of three stimulus grants:

o The State Fiscal Stabilization Fund, or SFSF, in the amount of $2 million for fiscal year 2010 and the amount in fiscal year 2011;

o Title 1 in the amount of $2.5 million over two years, with $1.3 million to be used in fiscal year 2010;

o Individuals with Disabilities Act, which is considered special education funding, in the amount of $9.2 million over two years, with $4.6 million to be used in fiscal year 2010.

In addition to the federal stimulus money, the school system will also have the opportunity to apply for various American Recovery and Investment Act competitive grants.

Harford County Public Schools will receive a total of $201.8 million from the state for fiscal year 2010, which is $5.5 million less than it received in fiscal year 2009.

In order to support the formula funding for education aid for the next fiscal year, which begins July 1, the state is using federal funds from the American Recovery and Investment Act, and, as a result, $2 million was set aside for the county through the State Fiscal Stabilization Fund.

“It’s money we got back to replace money that isn’t there,” Skebeck said.

The State Fiscal Stabilization Fund will be used to pay for some of the $5.3 million increase in health benefits the school system is facing.

The $1.3 million in Title 1 stimulus money will supplement the regular Title 1 allocation at $3.8 million.

For fiscal year 2010, the Title 1 budget was reduced $453,000, or 10.6 percent, from fiscal year 2009.

The Title 1 program is a restricted program in the school system that targets resources to schools where the needs are greatest, which includes high poverty elementary schools where 45 percent or more students are from low income families.

The federal stimulus money will be used to maintain staffing and programs, as well as add two new programs regarding teacher professional development.

One program will be a Harford County Summer Seminar in Arts Integration for the summer of 2010, which will provide professional development for teachers to integrate art into curriculum.

National Board Certified Teachers Take One program is the other program that will be implemented with the stimulus money, which will increase the number of National Board Certified Teachers.

The $4.6 million for the Individuals with Disabilities Act, or IDEA, will supplement the $46.8 million total in the special education budget for fiscal year 2010.

With the federal stimulus money, there will be a total of $13.3 million in the restricted fund and $38.1 million in the unrestricted fund for a total of $51.4 million for special education.

The special education stimulus money will be used to expand and enhance programs and services that already exist.

Some programs that will be enhanced and expanded include providing administrative report to schools with special education programs; providing consultation and expansion of Culturally Relevant Instruction; providing additional case management and oversight of student programs; and strengthening school to home connections.

With the additional $7.9 million in stimulus money, the school board unanimously approved Monday a fiscal year 2010 operating budget, with $417.5 million in the unrestricted fund and $32.7 million in the restricted fund, and a $76.2 million capital budget. Board President Patrick Hess was absent.

The board previously approved the self-sustaining $14.4 million food services budget in April.

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