December 30, 2005

Dear Chief State School Officers:

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|                                                      |                                                       | More ResourcesHurricane Education Recovery Act download files (PDF)
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|Hurricane Education Recovery Act download files (PDF) |                                                       |                                                                    
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|                                                      | Hurricane Education Recovery Act download files (PDF) |                                                                    
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I am pleased to inform you that, today, President Bush signed into law the Hurricane 
Education Recovery Act. The legislation authorizes three new grant programs to 
assist school districts and schools in meeting the educational needs of students 
displaced by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and in helping schools that were closed 
as a result of the hurricanes to reopen as quickly and effectively as possible. 
This letter briefly describes each of these programs. More detailed guidance on 
the three programs and other key provisions of the legislation will be sent to 
you in the very near future. (For your convenience, I am enclosing a copy of the 
legislation.)

The new programs are as follows:

*(1) Emergency Impact Aid for Displaced Students*

Under this program, the Department will award emergency impact aid funding 
  to State educational agencies (SEAs). SEAs will, in turn, provide assistance 
  to local educational agencies (LEAs) for the cost of educating students enrolled 
  in public and non-public schools who were displaced by Hurricanes Katrina and 
  Rita during the school year 2005-2006.

Congress has appropriated $645 million for the Emergency Impact Aid program. 
  The Department will make four quarterly payments to SEAs based on quarterly 
  counts of displaced students enrolled in public and non-public schools. States 
  will make payments to LEAs based on those counts.

To receive funding, eligible SEAs will need to provide, on an expedited basis 
  as required by the statute, data and other application information that we will 
  be requesting shortly. Based on this information, we will promptly make initial 
  payments to SEAs.

*(2) Assistance for Homeless Youth*

This program will provide a separate source of funding to SEAs to address the 
  needs of homeless students displaced by Hurricanes Katrina or Rita. The Department 
  will use data on displaced public school students collected under the Emergency 
  Impact Aid program to make allocations under the Assistance for Homeless Youth 
  program.

Congress has appropriated $5 million for this program. We will be making awards 
  to SEAs in the near future. After receiving their allocations, SEAs will award 
  subgrants to LEAs on the basis of demonstrated need. LEAs must use the funds 
  awarded under this program to support activities that are allowable under the 
  McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act.

*(3) Immediate Aid to Restart School Operations*

Under this program, the Department is authorized to award funds to the SEAs 
  in Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas, and Alabama. These SEAs, in turn, will provide 
  assistance or services to LEAs and non-public schools to help defray expenses 
  related to the restart of operations in, the reopening of, and the re-enrollment 
  of students in, elementary and secondary schools that serve an area in which 
  a major disaster has been declared related to Hurricanes Katrina or Rita.

Congress has appropriated $750 million for the Restart program. We know that 
  States, LEAs, and non-public schools in the affected areas have incurred and 
  continue to incur considerable expenses as they seek to reopen schools and are 
  in urgent need of financial assistance. In order to help meet those needs, I 
  am announcing today that the Department will immediately provide $100 million 
  to Louisiana, $100 million to Mississippi, $50 million to Texas, and $3.75 million 
  to Alabama under the Restart program. Consistent with the legislation, in determining 
  the final, aggregate allocations, we will take into consideration the number 
  of students who were enrolled, during the 2004-2005 school year, in elementary 
  and secondary schools that were closed on September 12, 2005, as a result of 
  Hurricane Katrina, or on October 7, 2005, as a result of Hurricane Rita, and 
  other relevant factors.

We at the U.S. Department of Education are pleased to be able to provide these 
  resources, and we are grateful for all you do on behalf of the children of our 
  great country.

| | Sincerely,        
| | ------------------
| | /s/               
| | Margaret Spellings



Enclosure

|Last Modified: 01/24/2006
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