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AEP Online |
Blaschke on Federal FundingNew 'Impact Aid' Funds Technology Purchases in Rural CountiesDec. 15, 2000 ? Without much fanfare, President Clinton recently signed a new law that will put into effect stable new funding of more than $1 billion, over five years, for some rural-county schools. The new aid is sorely needed: Over the last several years, some regions' funding from logging and timbering in nearby national forests has declined as much as 40 to 50 percent. Approximately 25 percent of all students attend public schools in rural areas, and both the quality and quantity of their instruction has been affected. During the last century, at least a quarter of the revenues gained from logging on national forests has been earmarked for rural counties, specifically for school services, road construction, and maintenance; recently some states have devoted a large portion to technology purchases. During the late 1990s, Montana, for instance, drew its only state funding dedicated specifically to technology from timber sales fees, which amounted to between $10 and $20 million. After a couple of years, however, the funding was eliminated. One of the purposes of the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000 ? sponsored mainly by senators and congressmen from Oregon, Idaho, Florida, and California ? is to "stabilize payments to counties to provide funding for schools and roads," supplementing other available funds. According to lobbyists involved in its quiet passage, the act gives districts much flexibility in deciding how to use the funding ? similar to the leeway allowed under the Qualified Zone Academy Bonds program. A substantial portion is likely to be used for connectivity, for hardware purchases, and for online distance learning services ? advanced placement, foreign language instruction, and the like. More than 700 rural counties currently receiving timbering fees are slated to receive $200 million annually, beginning Oct. 1, 2001. States and districts that benefited most in the past will continue to receive proportionately more than other states and districts. The additional funding for this effort will likely be administered by the Bureau of Land Management within the U.S. Department of the Interior, or by the Agriculture Department's Forest Service. The specific allocations to each state and/or county should be known in the near future. In the mean time, publishers should contact school districts in rural counties that currently receive fees from national forest timbering and logging.
Questions, ideas, or in need of more inforrmation? Please contact Dave Gladney at 856-241-7772 or dgladney@AEPweb.org. |
Click here for a list of counties by state, including levels of revenue over the last two years. |
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