The school district is waiting for confirmation that it could soon receive a boost in federal funding for special education, and possibly receive money for future building upgrades to Bedford schools – all from the economic stimulus program.

An anticipated $734,000 for special education would double what the district currently receives in federal funding.

The money would be in addition to the $662,853 this year and $670,000 for next year the federal government has given Bedford for special education.

Superintendent Tim Mayes said the district could use the funds for either of the two years. “Obviously this is more than we’re getting and any money we get from them is certainly helpful in covering the costs,” Mayes said.

According to the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, or IDEA, the government is supposed to be paying 40 percent of the costs of special education for school districts like Bedford. But actual funding has been less, Mayes said.

For 2007 to 2008, Bedford spent $9.8 million on special education. Federal funding, however, came in at $570,000, or about 6 percent of the total cost. In the prior school year, the district faced $8.8 million with a federal reimbursement of $618,000, said Mayes.

The district had received word of the additional funding from the National School Boards Association and First District Rep. Carol Shea-Porter’s office.

The district also has submitted three construction projects to the federal stimulus program, which is being administrated through various state departments.

Those are: $260,000 to reconstruct McKelvie Intermediate School parking lot, $240,000 for the repair or replacement of McKelvie’s roof and $150,000 for sprinklers at Peter Woodbury School.

Mayes said the roof and sprinklers were “shovel ready” projects. The new parking lot, however, needs more engineering work. The parking lot and sprinkler projects had been cut from the 2009-10 proposed $56.4 million operating budget to lower the tax rate. The third project was left in the budget. The budget passed voter approval on Tuesday, March 10.

Mayes said the district has yet to hear from the state on how much funding is available from the stimulus program or how it would be apportioned among school districts in New Hampshire.