Stimulus Plan Would Provide Flood Of Aid to Education

WASHINGTON -- The economic stimulus plan that Congress has scheduled for a vote on Wednesday would shower the nation's school districts, child care centers and university campuses with $150 billion in new federal spending, a vast two-year investment that would more than double the Department of Education's current budget.

The proposed emergency expenditures on nearly every realm of education, including school renovation, special education, Head Start and grants to needy college students, would amount to the largest increase in federal aid since Washington began to spend significantly on education after World War II.

Read the whole story here.

Comments

[KatDawgATL]

It's not about simply giving schools "more money" thats a GOP talking point that does what the rest of their talking points do (muddy the issue with blanket excuses and ideology)

It's about discovering the way for american educated kids to compete with the rest of the world through "critical thinking" and the education thereof.

The GOP would surely disappear as a "party" if EVERY child in america received a thorough education.
That's why they constantly fight it. Much liken to how they show that they are anti-government by using what power they gain to keep it from functioning efficiently .

[Mugzi]

Isn't it also to help renovate schools which are falling down??? Construction, electricians, plumbers, A/C techs, upgrade technology, etc....jobs! Businesses, small, medium and large, jobs...

[KatDawgATL]

Upkeep is a constant cost, however if you "zero-in" on such things ( at the expense of re-examining the METHODS by which we educate) you could wind up spending 50-100 thousand dollars (or more) on a school with a "track-record" of producing students that won't see half of that in the workforce.

Good post though,

[MsMandy]

I am a high school teacher and Title 1 Coordinator in CA, and I can tell you our situation is dire. My district is talking massive teacher and certificated layoffs, 40 plus students per class, eliminating transportation and cutting all sports except varsity. NCLB is a ridculous debacle and this may be a necessary first step toward righting that wrong. In addition to this better late than never funding, requiring all states to use federal content standards is vital. When states use different standards, there is no doubt data is skewed. It makes sense to me that if all schools are held responsible for the same progress and scores, we should all be taking the same tests.
You are on the right track President Obama, please, keep looking for solutions to this pressing issue. All the stimulus in the world makes no difference if our future generations are uneducated....

[mervr1]

But Republicans strongly criticized some of the proposals as wasteful spending and an ill-considered expansion of the federal government’s role, traditionally centered on aid to needy students, into new realms like local school construction.

Oh kinda like the great George Bush's federally funded "No Child Left Behind" program which helped so many needy students.

This money is needed on so many levels in education it's not even funny. Construction is just a part of where the funds will be spent.

Ask a couple hundred teachers who spend their own money just to get their students supplies to get through a school year.

Better yet when we children we brought our textbooks home...school districts now can't even afford to allow children to bring books home anymore because the kids share them.

You're right Republicans it's all wasteful spending and the government does a great job already funding schools especially the needy children.

[bkbigfish]

It has been proven time and time again that more money does not translate into better schools. Washington D.C.- the highest in the nation in per-pupil spending, ranking almost last in performance.
Los Angeles- Highest paid teachers in the country with over a fifty percent dropout rate and crappy test scores.

This will do nothing to solve education problems, but I guess everyone will be able to feel good about themselves.

[cayuse]

Built it they will come.

Exexpt spend on education for science and math will not create high tech jobs. It create unemployed scientist.

[MsMandy]

I see that our (flawed) education system worked well for you.

Proof in the pudding, folks, schools need money and SUPPORT.

[BBackSoon]

You are really arguing about spending money on education?

This money will provide jobs and much needed raises for teachers and assistants and even lunch ladies. Money spent on fixing crumbling buildings will provide, guess what? Jobs for construction workers. And just because money alone will not guarantee better students it will certainly make some students better and provide jobs in the meanwhile.

[Freesia2]

Good. I've always had a theory that one reason schools have been left to rot and people are now unable to send their kids to college in this economy was actually a plot. Create a dumbed down drone class who don't ask questions.

I'm not prone to conspiracy theories as a rule. But education is the key to the American Dream and it's been overlooked so badly that I just felt like being paranoid about it. It's about time we started investing in our real future - the children.

[southernsepia]

You are right, it is a conspiracy.

It is common knowledge that an uneducated population is easier to control. Besides that fact, drop outs usually fall in to crime or other misdeeds that get them locked up and we all know that the private prison system is making some folks a lot of money.

A society decides whether it values education or not, it is no accident.

[shanefish]

A good society can be judged by the fairness of its prison system.

[AGarcia]

We need pride in education. People have promoted the idea that "you need to join the workforce, not an education" which has lead to social promotion and the dumbing down of the college system in general. In the 70's, people still believed in the intrinsic value of learning but now all the talk is about vouchers and trade schools. We need to get back to valuing intelligence for it's own merits. That's my 2 cents.

[Imago]

I agree with you.

I also find it difficult to ignore the connection in the Bush era between kids passing a graduation test and being able to apply for college -- which is what they tried to do (and kids at first rate schools had trouble with this testing, it was so badly designed).

What do you do with a whole community of 18 year olds that have graduated from high school and can't apply for college? Gee...there's the military...

The Neo-Con/faith-based crowd absolutely doesn't want critical thinkers and question askers. They want good followers. And when they rattle on about "tradtional" education, keep in mind that our public education system was first designed to get people to the point where they could work in factories. NOT about critical thinking skills! None of this was accidental.

[lizziekw]

Personally, I dislike spending time with children for the most part but they do need to be well-educated. We used to have decent public schools in this country. They've been under-funded and in decline since the late 40's/early 50's. There was enough of a foundation so that education continued to be pretty good through the 60's but the more the system was dismantled and neglected over the years, the worse it's gotten.

We used to teach Latin to all of our children but you'd be hard-pressed to find it in most public schools anymore. The key, in my opinion, is not only ignoring Republican theories and attitudes about education but taking schools OFF of the property tax based funding system. It institutionalizes inequality. Every child in America is entitled to the SAME public education. If we want to take a cut of property tax for public schools - fine. Take all the money, put it in a single fund and each school gets exactly the same amount per child. No more rich kids in the suburbs having everything and poor kids in the cities and rural areas having nothing. It's unacceptable.

[Grannysue]

It's about dam time we spent some money on our schools, all Bush did was give it lip service!

[ReservoirDog]

Exactly. I think they should use a poster with George's picture that reads:

Education is Important....just ask this guy !

[elvin1]

According to Barbara Boxer, most of the "aid" to education will consist of making schools earthquake proof (is this possible?) and making schools energy efficient. These are good things, but I doubt that this "aid" will improve the educational standards for our children.

[lizziekw]

Obviously, if the schools are more energy efficient then they'll be spending less money on electricity and have more money for books and other things necessary for educating our children. Can you not see that?

[cayuse]

True, but will it create jobs or create educated people with no job

[lizziekw]

People with education are more likely to create jobs than uneducated dupes making minimum wage.

With the way we're losing jobs now, being an educated person with no job is infinitely preferable to being an uneducated person with no job. At least with an education they may be able to get a job. Without it, they surely won't find any work.

Having a decent education is ALWAYS better than not having one. Always.

[Mugzi]

Yes, not only educating our kids but renovations, improving technology, plumbers, electricians, etc...

[LRM216]

What a joke! Kids need parents who have jobs right now so that they can remain in the homes they live in, or even worse, get a home to live in.

[TLV]

One does not knock the other out of the program.

[dm10003]

do you solve only one problem a week? i'm sure your don't.

[Mugzi]

I agree, the Fed is looking at plans to keep homeowners in their homes and refinancing their loans for a time period they can afford...this should have been done back in 2007 when the house of cards was falling!

[FZliveson]

Cripes....most people in this nation are like food addicts
but with money.

Things get annoying....Spend something
Get a bit nervous.....Buy something.
Not sleep well.....Donate money to charity
Self-image problems....Give someone some money
so he/she will like you.
Get off the addiction to spending and start serving
people. There is plenty of shoulder to shoulder
volunteer work available and one can meet some
really nice people doing that kind of stuff.
And.....It doesn't raise the national debt, incumbering
your kids either.

[dm10003]

and without money for, say, a police force, you...?

[FZliveson]

You may have missed the point. I did not say that we ought to quit spending altogether.
We just need to stop looking at spending at an absurd and ever-increasing level
as the panacea for all that ails our society. Everyone needs to eat. Food addicts go
overboard. Spending addicts go overboard....same obsession, different "jones."
"If your only tool is a hammer, then you tend to look at every problem
as though it were a nail."

[southernsepia]

Since we're all talking about the problems with schools, here's my perspective.

What I see is a lack of teaching first a foundation in the basics and then higher level thinking skills. In my district the teachers present a new concept every day, be it math, science, whatever. When I was in school teachers took 3-4 days to make sure we had mastery of the concept then moved on.
When asked teachers will tell you that they must touch on many topics for testing purposes so they don't have the time to go in depth on a concept.

This is why kids are failing, they have a shallow grasp of foundational math and language which is impossible to build on.

And about parental involvement - if the parents aren't involved does that mean the child doesn't deserve an education? When I was going to school 25 years ago my parents involvement consisted of telling me to get my homework done. There was no expectation of any more parental involvement than that. The school taught me - not my parents.

Should parents turn off the TV, encourage kids to read, and support education - of course.
But parents shouldn't be the excuse educators use to overlook a demographic of children.
Parents shouldn't have to lobby the school to get a good education for their kids.

[TLV]

As a former frequent volunteer in my sons' schools, I learned many years ago that the kids whose parents were not involved almost always had a harder time. Learning disabilities not withstanding, parents DO make a difference in the outcome of a child's education.

Children are more than just a funnel though which you shove facts and then you look for the magical results out the other end. They love having their parents read to and with them. They love the closeness they feel showing you what they've done in school that day. They feel proud that THEIR parents care enough to attend conferences, to see their art work, to observe their science project, and to hear their music. It takes so little time but means the world to them.

[southernsepia]

If you have the time to be a frequent volunteer then great. Most single, lower income parents working multiple jobs do not. Is it the kids fault, should they suffer because they are born into a financially struggling household?

We need to get away from the notion that education is a privilege that is earned by parents.
No education is a right that all children have regardless of whether or not their parents show up for all the school functions.

[linton]

I think what we mean by parental involvement is parents being involved, providing and creating a condusive environment for learning at home to complement what is done at school which is very hard in times like these. Your parents helped by ensuring that you took care of your home work. This is very hard for most of us today, in my case I have to review and sign/initial on a daily basis the work that my child in K5 did for that day, finish home work if any for that day, fix dinner etc etc, all in addition to a 50 mile commute/2 hour drive.
I have accepted the challenges, I know it could be worse because of the present economic climate since both parents have to work just to make ends meet. My only regret is that I did not read the Parental Manual before becoming a parent but then experience is the best teacher. Let's all continue to the best we can for our kids which we are all doing now by posting to comments etc.

[BBackSoon]

My daughter is in 8th grade, we have dealt with No Child Left Behind I guess all her education. The teachers not only have to cover so much ground, so fast. But they have to stop teaching for 2, 3 or 4 weeks to get ready for the Tests. In our case they are called the Iowa tests. As I understand it if the kids don’t do good enough the school district looses funding or accreditation. Please correct me if I am wrong.

All I know is the testing is a big deal. A huge deal.

[buddyc]

Two things. One: since when is Education an impoverished country requiring “aid”? Education, as a basic necessity of our society, requires funding, not “aid.” Two: our schools need money, but our students need something more. I am the product of a large, suburban public school and now teach at an urban school for the gifted, having taught previously at an elite private school. Although some of my students are truly extraordinary, many of them are really quite average. Still, nearly all of my students apply themselves diligently, achieve a deep understanding of the material, and get accepted to top colleges. The only real difference I can see is that my students know that there’s a reward for their work. Those who give up are those who believe that there’s no compensation waiting for them after so much hard work. This is the crux of our nation’s education problem: many don’t believe that there’s any point to exerting themselves. Learning is difficult, and a “love of learning” isn’t any more natural for most people than a love of exercise or a love of healthy food. Most of us who exercise and eat well do so because we know the benefits that come from it. Without knowing the benefits of working your brain, few will do it.

[Grunty1]

[since when is Education an impoverished country requiring "aid"? ]

Sounds like the Republican wet dream to me.

[sueno]

The best money we can spend is on our children's futures.
Kudos to the Obama administration.

[FZliveson]

Blah blah....the best money we can spend on our children's future is to
NOT SPEND so they have a f*ing future to look forward to. It is a change
of context we need, not more greenbacks thrown into the open furnace door.
The Fed is printing money faster than Crown-Zellerbach is making toiletpaper
and the bunwad is wort more–backed by better a**holes.

[Grunty1]

So what good is the future when those kids are living on the street because their parent's don't have jobs?

[TLV]

Since spending money is not the answer, I take it you and others who feel as you do have better way. What exactly do you plan to contribute if not money? Your time? Please do! The schools need you.

[dm10003]

i graduated from a michigan high school in the late 70s when property owners were refusing to vote for school millages. that shortsightedness was the acid rain that nearly killed the region for a decade.

[Spinzone]

For roughly the past 20 years, more money continues to be thrown at education. This would be fine; however, there is no accountability for results and those results have not been improving. Money does not equate to success in education; there is no correlation. Also, much of the money to schools does not go to teachers; much goes to administrators, counselors, etc. The reason teacher salaries are not higher is not that there is not enough money, the reason is that there are too many administrators.

[shanefish]

I think you're trying a little too hard to spin something which needs no spin. What money are you talking about in the form of spending on education? Back in 2003, the once mighty United States was ranked 18th out of 24 develoiped nations when it comes to education spending. Since the last administration has cut back so much more since then, I am guessing even 18th would be better than where we are now. The fact that school funding is directly tied to local home taxes is the reason there is such inequality. Poor neighborhoods = poor schools. Hello? Maybe your district spent more on schools, but the rest of us haven't seen it.

[dm10003]

conservative lobbyists want money thrown at THEIR things instead.

[TLV]

Does your district or state not set standards to be met? I live in Ohio and there are certainly standards in place.

Here's the Ohio website. Perhaps you should visit your state's site and actually read what the standards are.

http://www.ode.state.oh.us/GD/Templates/Pages/ODE/ODEDefaultPage.aspx?page=1

[AnnfromCA]

You may have missed the "No child left behind." That's about standards galore. In fact, the teacher's union reports that they are teaching to the test standards entirey too much.

Bush plowed a lot of money into the schools for just that program.

The money going out under this bill will be under the supervision of the Dept. of Education. Frankly, we don't know yet how it will be distributed. Head Start is one of Obama's promises. I predict you'll see that reinstated. Also, federal loans, which dried up under Bush, will be reinstated.

There's no guarantee that any of the allocated money will even reach a school in a Kansas suburb.

This is a regular spending bill, not a stimulus package.

And my chief complaint is that it's being rushed through and not packaged well for the public. It's being rushed as though it's an emergency. However, Head Start is NOT an emergency. It's nice. I like the program. I agree it's good. But it shouldn't be a part of an emergency "stimulus" package.

[Grunty1]

You are very wrong. For the last 20 years, Republicans have worked long and hard to STRIP as much money from education as possible.

[Imago]

And one of the reasons that there are "too many" administrators is that there is SO MUCH testing!

NCLB is all about the tests. Teachers spend their lives trying to make sure that kids will score well on tests because school funding is dependent on it. They prep for the test, they administer the test, they recover from the test. Over and over again.

Money is directly correlated to test scores. The problem with this is that test scores don't necessarily correlate all that well to actual learning, analytical thought capabilities, etc. Standardized tests are about being able to retain and spit out "factoids," not about exhibiting a rich grasp of complicated concepts.

And if you look at spending on education at a federal level during the Bush years, it went up with inflation but was, in real dollars, a fraction of what has been invested in education in the past.

[fallinup]

Students arn't going to get all of this money. Most of this money is already spent just by schools around the country being in dire need of new equipment, books, etc. Schools have been so underfunded that this aid will only be the tip of the iceberg.

The money will be almost instantly spent by schools. Who in turn will order, and upgrade new equipment. Which in turn will put the companies and businesses that provide the equipment and tools to schools instantly to work.

Lets look at the big picture here. Spending on education helps us at least three fold. One for the students, two for the schools, and 3 for the suppliers.

School books don't get made by themselves ya know.

[TLV]

Great points. Thank you for your post.

[TeeLolly]

This money may not even be the tip of the iceberg--a lot will simply replace state funding that has disappeared or will disappear as a result of the current economic crisis. Without the money, schools will be even worse off than they already are.

[shanefish]

The money will probably be used to replace the funding the state's legislators have removed from the budget because of the money schools get from lotteries. Many states have used the lottery money for schools; however, the legislators removed equal money from the budget, resulting net = $0.00

Real nice eh?

[leeman79]

Finally. An investment in our future; what a great idea.

[LDnearthesea]

I am a school teacher and my public school district will be $17 million in the red this next school year. This is in California. The Supe just put out an email that just about everyone's job is at risk. pink slips will be going out March 15, and even the tenured teachers will be getting them. Thanks, Bush, Schwartznegger, and all Repugs at the Federal, State, and Local levels for letting the rich, the haves and have mores get more, while the rest of us suffer: You can all go to hell, you anti-working class American jerks!