Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland and Ohio Department of Education (ODE) Superintendent of Public Instruction Deborah Delisle have announced that Ohio will receive $361,179,690 from the $10 billion Education Jobs Fund (Ed Jobs) national program. The federal law specifies that the money be used for salaries and benefits for hiring, rehiring, retaining teachers and others supporting the daily education of Ohio’s students, and prohibits using funds for general administration. From the state distribution, 12 Scioto County schools favor to receive a combined total of nearly $4.3 million.

Teachers at Portsmouth City School are slated to receive the most in Scioto County, taking in an estimated $685,362. Sciotoville Elementary Academy will receive the smallest amount, only $54,600.

Among other local allocation estimates:

• Bloom-Vernon, $348,426

• Clay, $162,981

• Green, $178,950

• Minford, $537,850

• New Boston, $119,783

• Northwest, $657,791

• Sciotoville High, $131,649

• Valley, $427,475

• Washington-Nile, $572,016

• Wheelersburg, $415,906

In all, Scioto County will receive an estimated total of $4,292,789.

“One of the reasons I believe in Ohio is because of the strength of our teachers. Nothing is more central to the success of our students than the quality of teachers in the classroom,” Strickland said. “That’s why we have enacted the most rigorous teacher training program in the country, and why we are utilizing these federal resources to keep our teachers doing what they do best.”

Cleveland Municipal School (with nearly 50,000 students) will receive more than any other school in Ohio, claiming an estimated $17,550.193. On the opposite end, Kelleys Island Local Schools (with only 14 students) in Erie County was awarded the smallest amount, walking away with only $93. Three Ohio schools — Middle Brass Local, Put-In-Bay Local and Hope Academy Broadway Campus — were allocated no money at all.

Ohio will be utilizing the state’s primary funding formula as the method for allocating funds to traditional school districts and community schools. Two percent of the total state allocation is estimated to be utilized for the state to administer this federal award.

The estimated allocations will be adjusted once in November to account for significant changes in schools’ funding. The Ohio Department of Education will initially make 75 percent of the allocations available for schools to collect.

“ODE will ensure these funds flow quickly to enable school leaders to make the best decisions for their schools. The flexibility of the program allows schools to carryover funds into next year, providing additional stability and security,” Delisle said.

Ohio is finalizing its Ed Jobs application to the U.S. Department of Education (USDoE) to meet the Sept. 9 filing deadline, and awards will be made available within two weeks of the submission of an approved application. According to the USDoE, Ohio is one of 20 states that have submitted applications.

RYAN SCOTT OTTNEY can be reached at (740) 353-3101, ext. 235, or e-mail rottney@heartlandpublications.com.