The Journal Times Online - Racine, Wisconsin

That big fat federal stimulus package that just made it out of the House of Representatives, you know the one with all those zeros at the end, includes $150 billion, yes, that's billion with a B, for education.

A lot of it will go to public schools, you know, the ones we love to hate.

Wisconsin's more than 400 school districts will get a generous sum to share, most of it going to Milwaukee.

Anyone who pays any attention to the Racine Unified School District knows money is always an issue.

The situation is often read in one of two ways:

There is either too little money and the threat of cuts constantly looms or, as some read it, is hung over the community's collective head in the run up to a referendum.

Or, there is too much: the district is awash in taxpayers' hard-earned money and its either mismanaged or funneled to central office where a bloated administration counts it before putting a down payment on their newest luxury automobile.

Sure that's simplistic. Any $250 million organization (like Racine Unified) is far more complex than we'd like it to be.

In a district like Racine Unified, magic often does happen despite the crumbling buildings and the academic struggling of many, to name just a few issues with which the school system is currently dealing. Talk to a parent, a teacher or a student who cares, they'll tell you.

Well, Racine Unified's piece of this close-to-a-trillion-dollar stimulus pie: $20 million. It would be split over two years between Title I, Construction and special eduation.

Will $150 billion save American education? Will $20 million save Racine Unified?

Are these the wrong questions?