ALBANY -- Gov. Paterson plans to dole out $175 million in federal stimulus and other funds in a "back to school" bonus program for hundreds of thousands of welfare and food-stamp recipients, The Post has learned.

The first-in-the-nation program, which comes on top of a 10 percent welfare hike granted in Paterson's April budget, allocates $200 to every child between ages 3 and 17 in welfare- and food-stamp-receiving households -- even if they're not attending school, sources told The Post.

Of that amount, $107 million would be distributed to welfare and food-stamp recipients in New York City, one source said.

About $140 million of the total would come from as-yet-unallocated federal stimulus money earmarked for New York, while the remainder would be made up from a "private foundation" that Paterson administration officials have refused to identify to local officials.

The Post has learned that the private funds will come from two foundations controlled by controversial billionaire George Soros.

Aides to Paterson and officials of the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance, the agency responsible for the state's huge welfare system, have briefed New York City and county social-services bureaucrats on the program over the past few days.

The officials were told that Paterson would announce the program Tuesday and were warned not to make it public.

Several local officials complained that Paterson's office ordered them to make grants to children in families that have violated work requirements mandated by federal and state welfare reforms.

"I've never seen a program like this before," a disgusted county social-services commissioner told The Post. "They're even including welfare and food-stamp recipients who went off the rolls in mid-July."

Marissa Shorenstein, a Paterson spokeswoman, said the federal funds had to be used for welfare-related purposes.

Senate Minority Leader Dean Skelos (R-LI) ripped Paterson's plan, saying, "Every hardworking New Yorker and senior living on a fixed income who lost their STAR property-tax rebate check can thank Gov. Paterson personally for giving it away to pay for new rebates for welfare recipients."

Rockland County Executive Scott Vanderhoff, a Republican, said, "The use of federal stimulus funds in this manner is not what was intended in trying to jump-start the economy and create jobs."

Paterson pushed through a record-high state budget in April that increased the state's welfare grant by 30 percent over the next three years, slashed $1.5 billion in STAR rebate payments to hundreds of thousands of homeowners and raised taxes and fees by some $8 billion.

fredric.dicker@nypost.com
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These clowns still do not get it.