The economic recovery legislation to be voted on in Congress this week would provide billions in new money for local education, including scores of millions of dollars for school districts throughout Western Pennsylvania.

Pittsburgh Public Schools would be by far the largest beneficiary in the region under the measure being considered in the House. The city schools would receive a total of more than $55 million over the next two years, according to a Congressional Research Service analysis released by U.S. Rep. Jason Altmire, D-McCandless.

Examples of other proposed federal funding increases include Fox Chapel Area School District, $1,991,100; Mt. Lebanon, $1,427,100; North Allegheny, $2,151,900; North Hills, $1,972,900; Shaler Area, $2,625,800; Wilkinsburg, $3,526,600; Aliquippa, $2,775,000; and Ambridge, $2,049,800.

A full list of proposed outlays for school districts across the state can be found on the Web at http://edlabor.house.gov/documents/111/pdf/publications/PENNSYLVANIA2009Stimulus.pdf.

The total of the funding for local education programs represents roughly 5 percent of the planned outlays in the $825 billion House legislation. That's in addition to separate allocations for higher education in the massive legislative package. Even assuming final passage by the Democratic Congress, however, the final numbers for school districts and other recipients of the emergency aid could vary widely from these estimates once the House version is reconciled with Senate action on the stimulus measure.

Mr. Altmire voted against the initial rescue bill in October, but he said he strongly favors the new House bill, which could be voted on as early as tomorrow.

"In my mind, [the October measure], especially the first [$350 billion] was just a giveaway," Mr. Altmire said. "This is helping people, stimulating the economy, in a way that is transparent and traceable."

The school district dollars are spread across three broad areas: programs aimed at improving disadvantaged students' achievement in math and science, aid for special education and construction funding. Pittsburgh, for example, would receive a one-time grant of $23.9 million for construction this year, an additional $9.6 million for disadvantaged students in each of the next two years, and $5.5 million for special education in 2009 and $6.3 million beyond currently projected levels in 2010.

The proposed federal spending is to be allocated according to existing funding formulas, which take into account factors such as the number of students in poverty in a given district. While most of the Western Pennsylvania districts would receive significant sums, they all pale next to the proposed allocation for the state's largest school district, Philadelphia, which is targeted for more than $500 million in new funding in the House bill.