I've already expressed concern about how much reform we're likely to get out of the ARRA--possibly not much at all because of problems with the law. ????Stay tuned for more on this.
But two quick things as you head into the weekend. ????According to the latest ED docs, about $13 billion from the State Fiscal Stabilization Fund has already been handed out. ED's due to release a new report, so this figure will be going up.
Second, in a????recently released but????little-noticed GAO report on implementation of the stimulus plan there's this disheartening finding also pointing to the struggle to get reform out of the ARRA. ????In one of the states studied, leaders decided to use SFSF funds to protect jobs and programs instead of advancing reforms because of the "funding cliff":
U.S. Department of Education guidance allows school districts to use stabilization funds for education reforms, such as prolonging school days and school years, where possible. However, officials said that Illinois districts will focus these funds on filling budget gaps rather than implementing projects that will require long-term resource commitments.