One Year Anniversary of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act

One year ago, on February 17, 2009, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (a.k.a. the economic stimulus package) was signed into law by President Barack Obama. CEC celebrated this pivotal moment in the history of special education--this legislation more than doubled the current federal allocation for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) (Read CEC’s press release from February 17, 2009. Specifically, the economic stimulus bill funded grants to states for IDEA Part B at $11.3 billion, Section 619 at $400 million, and Part C at $500 million. In addition, ARRA provided for a CEC-backed extension on the moratorium for several controversial Medicaid regulations that would have cut or eliminated reimbursements for services mandated by IDEA, as well as funding for other health and education initiatives.

On Jan. 30, 2010 the U.S. Department of Education reported that the Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board (which was created by the economic stimulus package to provide transparency in relation to the use of Recovery-related funds and to prevent and detect fraud, waste and mismanagement) released job numbers showing that for the quarter ending on Dec. 31, 2009, grant recipients reported over 300,000 education jobs, such as teachers, principals, librarians, and counselors. In total, the U.S. Department of Education funding supported approximately 400,000 positions including corrections officers, public health personnel, and construction workers. Read the entire U.S. Department of Education press release.

Read the First Annual Report to the President on Progress Implementing the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

For more information on the economic stimulus visit The Recovery Act page on the White House website.