Update: Senator Tom Harkin (Iowa) recently introduced legislation which would provide $23 billion to states and school districts to continue student achievement and help save jobs. The legislation is Keep Our Educators Working Act (S. 3206).
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The Education Commission of the States has released a study estimating the number of jobs the legislation would create or save. The study estimates that Arizona would receive $406.4 million, $312.9 of which would go to K-12, $93.4 million to higher education and the remaining amount retained for use by the Arizona Department of Education.
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“States would be required to expend their funding from this program during the 2009-10 and 2010-11 school years unless the Secretary of Education authorizes a one-year extension for the 2011-12 school year.”
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The study estimates that in Arizona, 5,533 K-12 teaching jobs and 945 higher education teaching jobs would be saved or created by the legislation.
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For full details, see Estimating the Number of Jobs Created or Saved, Education Commission of the States, April 15, 2010
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To contact your senator to urge them to co-sponsor the bill, click here.
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Original Post:
As federal stimulus money runs out and the economy continues to sputter, school districts around the country have proposed massive cuts for the next school year. The New York Times reported that “…the 2010-11 school term is shaping up as one of the most austere in the last half century. In addition to teacher layoffs, districts are planning to close schools, cut programs, enlarge class sizes and shorten the school day, week or year to save money.”
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The article goes on to quote Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan “estimat[ing] that state budget cuts imperiled 100,000 to 300,000 public school jobs. In an interview on Monday, he said the nation was flirting with ‘education catastrophe.’ “
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In the wake of massive teacher lay-offs around the country, the chairman of the U.S. senate committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions, Senator Tom Harkin of Iowa has proposed the Keep Our Educators Working Act – a $23 billion jobs fund to prevent teachers from being fired because of budget shortfalls. To read the text of the bill, click here
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To contact your U.S. representative or senator, click here.
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For more information, see:
School Districts Warn of Even Deeper Teacher Cuts, New York Times, April 20, 2010
Fund Proposed to Prevent Some Teacher Firings, New York Times, April 14, 2010
For districts across city, it’s a night of bitter cuts, Arizona Star, April 14, 2010
Tolleson High Dist. announces severe staff cuts, Arizona Daily Sun, April 16, 2010
Class sizes, cuts could grow without tax hike, East Valley Tribune, April 16, 2010
Parents, teachers decry District 1 cuts, Yuma Sun, April 13, 2010
School layoffs target first-year teachers, Arizona Republic, March 5, 2010
Phoenix Union’s budget proposal calls for teacher layoffs, Arizona Republic, Feb. 26, 2010
Tags: arizona education, Arizona school funding, Arizona schools, Arizona teachers, budget, k-12 education funding, school budget cuts, teacher job cuts
[...] here to read the rest: School Districts Around the Nation Cut Teachers – Will the Federal … By admin | category: federal government | tags: budget-person, economy, economy-continues, [...]
[...] the temporary one percent sales tax increase, the “Keep our Educators Working Act”, a U.S. Senate bill sponsored by Sen. Tom Harkin of Iowa, and the Race to the Top round two competitive grant. . . “Is the state proud to that [...]
[...] Keep Our Educators Working Act (S. 3206) The Education Commission of the States estimates that this federal legislation to save our schools could bring $406 million to Arizona K-12 and higher education. For details click here. [...]