Rex says that transparency, accountability should accompany federal stimulus dollars

State Superintendent of Education Jim Rex said today that billions of federal stimulus dollars aimed at helping hard-hit public school systems should be wisely used and painstakingly tracked.

Rex and 40 of the nation’s state education chiefs met at the White House today with Vice President Joe Biden and U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan to discuss the school-related components of the federal stimulus package. Recently approved by Congress and signed by President Barack Obama, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act will invest more than $130 billion in the nation’s public education system. About $600 million is headed for South Carolina schools, with additional dollars available through grant applications.

“These new resources represent a profound investment in our kids and in our future, and they come at a critical time for public schools that have been battered by budget cuts,” Rex said. “We owe it to every parent and every taxpayer to be perfectly clear about how these dollars
are spent.”

Secretary Duncan told the state education chiefs that he expects to begin announcements next week concerning when and how the new federal funds will be made available. He pledged that his agency would "turn on a dime" to make the best use of data and input from the states.

Like Rex, Duncan emphasized the need for transparency and called for detailed descriptions on how the education stimulus funds are used, quarterly reports on the use of those funds and estimates on the numbers of jobs created and retained.

"We have to be accountable for every penny we spend,” Duncan said.

Rex met last week with South Carolina Comptroller General Richard Eckstrom to ask how the state’s public schools could be proactive in showing parents and taxpayers how federal stimulus dollars are being used. The two agreed to work collaboratively in the weeks ahead. Rex said he also would contact Gov. Mark Sanford to discuss strategies for using the money.

“South Carolina taxpayers are making this investment in public education,” Rex said, “and we need to show them how their dollars are being used - and why they are being used. We should be able to defend every expenditure to parents, teachers, citizens and business leaders.”