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The U.S. departments of Treasury and Education have announced the allocation of $188 million in school construction bonds to North Carolina under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

According to a press release sent Wednesday by N.C. Rep. Larry Kissell, these bonds can be used to finance the construction, rehabilitation or repair of public school facilities or for the acquisition of land where schools will be built.

"Our education infrastructure demands immediate attention," Kissell said in the press release. "Charged with the all-important task of teaching our children, educators in North Carolina are forced to work in substandard, overcrowded facilities. At a time when budget shortfalls have made it all but impossible for the state to make substantial investments in facility improvements, these bonds will help meet the infrastructure needs being faced by the public schools of North Carolina."

The funds are part of the 2010 School Bond Allocation, which allotted $11 billion for bonds across the nation. The bonds are targeted to help state and local governments obtain low-cost financing for public school improvements and construction, allowing states to borrow without incurring interest costs.

"Preparing students to compete in the global economy requires improvements in all aspects of our nation's education system, including the environments in which they learn," said Education Deputy Secretary Tony Miller in the press release.

"The Recovery Act is keeping teachers in the classroom and, through the construction bond program, making lasting investments in the quality of our schools. Our kids deserve no less."