The sheer scale of the new education aid envisioned under the economic-stimulus package now pending in Congress is forcing educators and state officials to consider how they would absorb that funding and how it could transform--or distort--school programs at the local level. Officials from governors' mansions on down are generally pleased at the prospect of billions of extra dollars for K-12 programs, early education, school construction, and other priorities. The size of that bonanza remained in flux this week, as a bipartisan group of lawmakers seeking a palatable package focused on proposed increases in direct aid to states, Title I funding for disadvantaged students, special education, Head Start, and a discretionary fund set aside for the U.S. secretary of education. Even if the proposed hikes are significantly scaled back, however, conservative estimates still put the potential increases at more than the U.S. Department of Education's current $59.2 billion discretionary budget. The debates in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives over the broad funding levels and specific components of such a plan highlight fundamental issues involving management and accountability; "maintenance of effort" by the states in paying for education; and the question of whether the increased federal spending can, or should, be sustained. Supporters of the package argued that legislation needs to be crafted and approved quickly to help school districts avert severe cuts in staff and programs.