President Barack Obama, in an effort to spur a still sagging economy, proposed a massive $427 billion jobs plan this week, with $60 billion earmarked, in part, to preventing an estimated 280,000 teacher layoffs and to ensuring additional teachers can be hired in schools throughout the United States.
An estimated $25 billion of the $60 billion, under the new plan, would go toward helping schools modernize their classrooms with the latest computer technology and to making repairs to approximately 35,000 of the nation’s schools.
The repairs for schools, with rural schools receiving priority for funds, include making buildings more energy efficient, removing asbestos from schools, and making emergency repairs to schools that need help the most.
The plan is also designed to keep teachers and to put new teachers in the classroom after a summer of layoffs that saw more than 80,000 teachers get pink slips. Since 2008, nearly 300,000 teachers have lost their jobs due to financial cutbacks with state and federal budgets.
With more teachers in the classrooms, according to some experts, class sizes can be reduced and school programs can be restored.
President Obama, in an address to the nation, promised to unveil how he will pay for the $427 billion plan sometime in the next few weeks, leaving many speculating about tax increases or cutbacks in the already-struggling social security and Medicare to help pay for the jobs plan.
“Thousands of teachers in every state will go back to work,” Obama told Congress and the nation last week. “These are the men and women charged with preparing our children for a world where the competition has never been tougher”.
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