Fairfax County Public Schools could receive some additional money from the federal government this year through the national economic stimulus package. The U.S. House of Representatives has passed a bill that includes the funding for the local school system and the U.S. Senate is expected to take up the matter this week.

Under the bill passed by the House, the school system would receive approximately $7.5 million to assist schools that serve "at risk" students, $19.5 million to help students with disabilities and $17.3 million for school construction.

Some of the federal stimulus money could come with restrictions and only a portion of it may plug the school system’ s projected budget gap for next year, which could range from $56 million to approximately $200 million.

In particular, the $7.5 million flagged for "Title I" schools – those schools with high percentages of poor students – may not be used to supplant or replace current "Title I" expenditures made by the local or federal government.

"Locally, we distribute $20 million to ‘Title I’ schools. Since we are already doing it, we can’t use the $7.5 million to pay for that," said Superintendent Jack Dale.

Dale said the school system has asked the U.S. Department of Education for more flexibility in how the new "Title I" funds could be used but said "so far we have not found much traction."

The $19.5 million the school system might receive to help students with disabilities has to be used to fulfill the mandates of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, a law that ensures certain services to children with disabilities. But unlike the
"Title I" funding, Dale said that this extra funding could offset expenses the county already incurs locally and may help with the budget shortfall.

The federal government has not yet placed any limitations on the school construction money the school system might receive. But Del. Dave Albo (R-42) has introduced a bill at the state government level that would restrict the use of federal stimulus money to the renovation of existing schools only.

Albo is concerned about the state of West Springfield High School, his alma mater, and a few other older school buildings in the county. The delegate wants the county to attend to the issues of these aging facilities before building new schools or construction new additions to existing buildings.

The school system’s chief operating officer Dean Tistadt said he is irritated with Albo’s bill. Fairfax schools anticipate a large increase in the countywide school population and Tistadt has said the school system may have to put school renovation projects on hold in order to build additions or new schools that can accommodate the new students.

Fairfax schools currently have a tremendous backlog of new construction and renovation projects. The school system currently receives about $155 million to meet its capital needs annually and Tistadt said he would need about $225 million per year to address all of the school system’s outstanding building problems.

Should the county receive an additional $17.3 million for construction from the federal government, it would accelerate the school system’s current capital schedule by approximately 50 days, said Tistadt.