Jackson, Tenn. –Tennessee Department of Transportation officials joined state and local leaders in Henry County today to celebrate the on time completion of the new section of State Route 218 and officially open it to traffic. State Route 218 from State Route 54 to State Route 69 is the first American Recovery and Reinvestment Act project in West Tennessee constructed in an entirely new location to open to traffic.

 

NASHVILLE – TDOT Commissioner Gerald Nicely joined Federal Highway Administrator Victor Mendez, Mayor Karl Dean, State Senator Douglas Henry, and other state and local officials in Nashville today to celebrate the opening of the new flyover ramp from Interstate 40 East to Briley Parkway in west Nashville. The $32 million interchange modification project is being totally funded through money from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

 

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan announced today Tennessee will receive $67.8 million to turn around its persistently lowest achieving schools through the School Improvement Grants (SIG) program. These funds are part of the $3.5 billion that will be made available to states this spring from money set aside in the 2009 budget and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

 

Read the U.S. Department of Education news release below or online.

 

 

 

Located online at http://www.tn.gov/firsttothetop/, the site includes Tennessee’s application and related documents, resources for educators, school systems and vendors, and details about First to the Top programs and projects. Visitors to the site can also subscribe to receive periodic updates about First to the Top implementation.

 

NASHVILLE - Connected Tennessee’s Computers 4 Kids program will receive $2.3 million in federal funding in an effort to increase sustainable broadband adoption and provide computers and training to over 60,000 disadvantaged youth across the state.

 

Computers 4 Kids joined 93 other Recovery Act investments in broadband projects announced today by Vice President Biden that will create jobs and expand economic opportunities within 37 states. These investments in high-speed Internet infrastructure will help bridge the technological divide in communities that are being left in the 20th century economy and support improvements in education, healthcare, and public safety. Today's announcement, an investment totaling $1.8 billion, is part of a nearly $7 billion Recovery Act initiative.

NASHVILLE — Governor Phil Bredesen announced today that Tennessee’s nearly $501 million Race to the Top budget has been approved by the U. S. Department of Education, allowing the state and all 136 school districts to move forward in implementing comprehensive school reform plans over the next four years.

 

Tennessee was just one of two states selected to receive funding in the federal government’s Race to the Top competition in March.

JACKSON, Tenn. –Tennessee Department of Transportation Commissioner Gerald Nicely joined state and local leaders in Gibson County to officially reopen McMurry Road after the reconstruction of three bridges along the roadway. The bridge replacement project was funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and was the first Recovery Act project to get underway. Today, it is also the site of the first ribbon cutting for a Recovery Act funded project in Tennessee.
 

NASHVILLE - More than 6,400 homes have been weatherized across Tennessee since a massive infusion of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds arrived last year. Through March, Tennessee was second in the nation (behind only Ohio) in getting Weatherization Recovery dollars into the local economy and helping low-income citizens save money on their utility bills by making homes more energy efficient. 

NASHVILLE – Governor Phil Bredesen today announced 14 appointments to the Tennessee First to the Top Advisory Council, a broad-based group of Tennesseans and national experts who will provide strategic guidance, direction, and thought leadership to state policymakers overseeing Tennessee’s Race to the Top grant from the U.S. Department of Education.

“Tennessee’s education agenda has accelerated in recent years because of the shared commitment to improving education that has been developed among stakeholders including teachers, administrators, business leaders, philanthropy, and advocacy groups,” said Bredesen. “They play a vital role in helping Tennessee carry out the vision of a world-class public education system that prepares students for college, career, and life in the 21st century. The ongoing involvement of the groups represented by the First to the Top Advisory Council will help ensure we fulfill our Race to the Top goals.”