Miles along the Gulf Coast have been swept clean by wind and water. Many thousands of homes in Mississippi are damaged or destroyed and more than a quarter million houses in New Orleans and surrounding parishes are no longer fit to live in. Hundreds of thousands of people from across this region will need to find longer-term housing. Schools and Students: The president proposes to provide funding to school districts enrolling significant numbers of displaced children. This funding would be used to reimburse school districts for the unexpected costs associated with educating additional children for the 2005-06 school year. Those costs include teacher salaries, transportation, materials and equipment, special services for children with disabilities, supplemental educational services, and counseling. The proposal would also provide compensation to displaced families for enrollment in private and parochial schools. Continuity Of Health Care: The federal government will issue waivers to reimburse states that have taken in large numbers of evacuees and provided them with health care for their extra Medicaid and uncompensated care expenses incurred through Jan. 31, 2006. Short-Term Housing For First Responders: Mobile homes, trailers and more ships will be brought into New Orleans to provide housing for the first responders and the service workers who are rebuilding the city. Goverments Working Together To Rebuild A Stronger Gulf Coast: The federal government will be fully engaged in the rebuilding, but the governors of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama, the mayor of New Orleans and other state and local leaders will have the primary role in planning for their own future. As they plan, communities will need to move decisively to change zoning laws and building codes. New Orleans has a particular challenge because much of the city lies below sea level. City and parish officials will have a large part to play in making the flood protection system stronger, and the Army Corps of Engineers will be at their side to make it happen. Spending Taxpayer Dollars Responsibly: Federal money will cover the great majority of the costs of repairing public infrastructure in the disaster zone, from roads and bridges to schools and water systems. A team of inspectors general from affected agencies will review all expenditures, will monitor grant and contracting actions as they occur and will deploy side-by-side with contractors to ensure they are delivering what they promised.