Stimulus funds helping Monroe County Community School Corp. with programs

By Kate Koselke, Herald-Times

kkoselke@heraldt.com

Stimulus money is distributed in several ways, most frequently in grants, loans and tax relief.

Tax relief excluded, grants are the most common dispersal method. There are two main types of grants. One is competitive based on need and qualifications, such as the $1.8 million the city is seeking for Phase 2 of the B-Line Trail. The other type is called a formula grant.

Cash that flows directly from the federal government to state and local agencies is usually in the form of formula grants. The formula includes several variables such as the number of people who will benefit from the funds and the various socio-economic levels of the population being served.

The Monroe County Community School Corp. has received the go-ahead to spend money it has been awarded from the federal stimulus package to support its IDEA and Title I programs. IDEA is the acronym for the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, and Title I is funding specifically for children from lower-income families who qualify for the free lunch program.