State Fiscal Stabilization Fund Program

The Department of Education (ED) has issued the final rule and application requirements for the final $11.5 billion available under the State Fiscal Stabilization Fund Program (SFSF) authorized by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). SFSF provides formula grants to states to help stabilize budgets to avoid reductions in education. In exchange, states agree to advance education reform in four key areas: achieving equity in teacher distribution, improving the collection and use of data, standards and assessments, and supporting struggling schools. The final requirements, definitions, and approval criteria specify the data and information that grantees must collect and publicly report. In line with the key areas of reform, the basic information ED is asking states to provide includes how teachers are evaluated, how the state will implement comprehensive longitudinal data system by 2011, and the number and identity of struggling schools. State plans must describe the ability to collect the data and make it publically available annually. If a state is not currently able to collect and make publicly available the requested data, it must describe a timeline for implementing the means to do so no later than September 30, 2010. The final requirements, definitions, and approval criteria are effective January 11, 2010.

Final requirements, 74 Fed. Reg. 58,436 (Nov. 12, 2009)
Proposed requirements, 74 Fed. Reg. 37,837 (July 29, 2009)
Press release
NSBA State Stabilization Funding Resources page