Loebsack said the $787 billion stimulus package signed by President Barack Obama Tuesday in Denver, Colo., includes $14 billion for school modifications.
Of that $14 billion, Loebsack estimated the Fairfield school district would receive $802,000 - "that's the priliminary number right now," he said.
The distribution is based on the amount of Title 1 funding the district received in fiscal year 2008. Title 1 provides financial assistance to schools with high percentages of children from lower-income families. About half of the country's 98,000 or so public schools, including Fairfield, receive Title 1 funds.
Loebsack explained the funds are to be used for moderinization projects, and he hopes to see a certain percentage used for green projects.
Superintendent Don Achelpohl said, because the district is studying how to improve the high school facility, the nearly 70-year-old building would be a "perfect poster child" of how the stimulus funds can be used.
"There are real scarey figures coming at us" for funding a remodeling or new construction project, said Achelpohl, adding the district would like to incorporate green elements into the school, such as a geothermal heating and cooling system.
Loebsack said the funds also could be used to install air conditioning at schools like Lincoln Elementary School and address Americans with Disabilities Act compliance issues. His staff will check into whether or not the funds could be used for installing an elevator at the high school.
|
|
