Stimulus package benefits ferries, schools; Orcas School District will receive $217,000

Among those benefiting from the federal stimulus package approved by Congress and signed by President Obama last Tuesday are state ferries and local schools.

The $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act “will invest more than $44 million to modernize schools, fund special education and help kids learn, including investments in Title I, IDEA and school modernization and repair” in the 2nd Congressional District, according to Rep. Rick Larsen's web site.

Orcas Island School District will receive $217,000, Lopez Island School District is receiving $113,000, San Juan Island School District will get $233,000, and Shaw Island School District will get $6,000.

Schools are also eligible for resources from the $1 billion in state stabilization funds the recovery package provides for Washington state.

“We're cautiously optimistic. There may be more money from the Federal government but less from the state. So I'm hoping for the best. But it's fantastic that the stimulus package passed,” said board chair Janet Brownell.

The $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act also includes $60 million to be invested in Washington state ferry projects, Larsen told the South Whidbey Record.

Larsen said the money would go to upgrade terminals and other facilities. It can’t be used for ferry construction, however, because of the state stipulation that Washington ferries must be built in Washington, he said.

The recovery act provides $492 million for roads, bridges and highways in the state, $179 million for transportation projects and $68 million for water infrastructure.

The package will also fund a 13-percent increase in the former food-stamp program, which is being replaced by a debit-card system. The increase would benefit 630,000 state residents who use the program, Larsen said. And it provides $150 million for food banks nationwide.

Washington state also gets $68 million for sewer and drinking water projects.

The recovery act includes $3.25 billion in borrowing capacity for Bonneville Power Administration to build a new transmission grid to bring along renewable energy sources such as windmills and solar, Larsen said.

He said that, overall, the stimulus package is designed to create 3.5 million new jobs, to help those hurt most by the recession and to set a foundation for economic recovery and long-term growth.

“The cost of doing nothing is far greater than the cost of the debt we’re going to incur,” Larsen said. “The acceleration of the recession surprised everybody.”