HARTFORD — Sure, a $10 million would come in handy for cities across the state during this struggling economy.

The state Department of Education released the list of towns what will get federal aid this fall.

Hartford School District is set to receive $10,991,025.

Last week,  President Barack Obama signed into law a stimulus package aimed at rehiring, or staving off, state workers,  including teachers, firefighters and police.

Connecticut received  $110 million. 
The money was part of a $26 billion appropriation that includes $10 billion
for schools.

The Connecticut State Department of Education  will  hold a meeting on how the stimulus plan will affect funding in connecticut schools.

The community meeting, officials said, will provide parents and community members with information on how the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) will affect education funding next year.

The meeting will be held at  Hamden High School May 19 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

ARRA, or the federal stimulus package, provides more than $780 million in new education funding to Connecticut’s school districts over the next 18 months, state officials said.

People should be aware that while the funding will help stabilize local education budgets, the law governing these funds calls for very specific uses and there is limited flexibility in spending in many cases,” said state Education Commissioner Mark K. McQuillan. “However, there are opportunities to enhance programs and services, particularly for those students most in need.”

This presentation is geared for the community and advocacy groups and parent organizations.  This session will include presentations by the Department’s Bureau of Special Education on the ARRA funds specific to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act  or IDEA and the Department’s Bureau of Curriculum and Instruction on the ARRA funds specific to Title I.

No advanced registration is necessary.   For more information or other assistance at the meeting, please contact the CSDE at 860-713-6912.

Directions to Hamden High School are attached

HARTFORD — Gov.  Jodi Rell  unveiled a comprehensive state Web site to help citizens follow the flow of federal stimulus dollars into Connecticut, track the progress of stimulus-funded projects and monitor the availability and creation of jobs through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

“It is essential that this process be as transparent and helpful and open as possible,”  Rell said in a press release today. “Through this Web site, anyone – any citizen, public official, jobseeker, contractor – can track where the federal money is going and who is hiring,”  Rell said. “Not only is this transparency a stipulation of the federal act, it is the absolute right thing to do when so much taxpayer money is at stake.”

Connecticut has already begun receiving some of the $3 billion in federal stimulus money. Approximately $1.65 billion is in direct aid and grants while $1.3 billion is in the form of Medicaid assistance. The federal government estimates the ARRA will create and/or save more than 40,000 jobs in Connecticut.

“Our goal is to get the money back into the economy as soon as possible and put people back to work,”  Rell said. “This Web site contains links to employers and training opportunities. It also includes critical information on project deadlines and will serve as a clearinghouse for more funding sources.

The new Web site – www.recovery.ct.gov – includes sections on:

• Explanation of the federal law
• Accountability of stimulus dollars
• Lists of “shovel-ready” projects and deadlines
• Latest news on the stimulus in Connecticut
• Frequently asked questions