Stimulus funds for schools could come quickly

If federal authorities have their way, Illinois and other states could start receiving economic stimulus money within 40 days.

The stimulus plan signed by President Obama earlier this week includes about $77 billion in direct funding for schools. The U.S. Department of Education said Wednesday that it hopes to distribute half of that money to states within 40 days, and the remainder within six months. The second payout will be contingent on states submitting an education reform plan.

How the money will be distributed to states is still being worked out. An Education Department spokesman said a timetable should be posted on the department's Web site in the next day or two, along with state-by-state funding estimates.

Similarly, how the state of Illinois will distribute money to individual districts, including those in the suburbs, is also being worked out.

State officials expect that most of the money will be distributed through existing federal and state programs. But the stimulus bill includes some dollars not covered by existing programs - funding for repairs to school buildings, for example. State education officials hope to receive guidance on how to distribute those funds soon, said Mary Fergus, a spokeswoman for the Illinois State Board of Education.

The $77 billion in stimulus funds will be invested in a number of areas. Most of it - about $40 billion - will be given to states to avert teacher and program cuts in schools. Other funds will go to early childhood programs, added assistance for schools in poor areas and grants for schools that demonstrate superior academic achievement.

In addition to that direct funding, the stimulus plan includes $30 billion to make college more affordable and roughly $9 billion for school modernization projects.