Federal stimulus bill as passed

(It won't be signed until later this week, but it does seem that's a given!)

You can get a look at what the stimulus bill will do for Massachusetts from the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center here, with the specifics on education funding here. In brief:

• Massachusetts is expected to receive $813 million dollars specifically for education.
• The money is to be used:

1. To make up for cuts in K-12 education funding since FY08--this doesn't apply to Massachusetts, as the state hasn't made cuts from FY08 levels.
2. To fund increases to funding under existing funding formulae--Chapter 70 (THE FOUNDATION FORMULA!) calls for an increase of $168 million for FY10 (and that plus an incremental increase for FY11). There also have been some reforms adopted to the funding system in 2007 which have been gradually phasing in; it's unclear what difference those reforms will make.
3. To make up funding cut from higher education since FY08--FY09 is $35 million below FY08, and FY10 is $142 million below FY08.
   

• It also looks like Massachusetts is going to get $181 million in flexible block grants to be used...well, that's what there's been some dispute about. Does the governor decide? the Legislature? But it's what the city (including the schools) put together their "shovel ready" proposals for last month.