GraniteGrok

A nice load of "plums" for the educrats that helped elect him...

This is a press release just in from the White House media team. Does this plan for education (laughably part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, AKA "stimulus") sound like it will do anything to help the economy... other than that of the educational-industrial complex?

WASHINGTON – Speaking with state school superintendents from around the country yesterday, Vice President Joe Biden and U.S. Department of Education Secretary Arne Duncan urged swift action and exceptional accountability in the disbursement of education-related recovery funds.  The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, signed into law last week, represents America’s largest-ever investment in education.  It provides funding to prevent teacher layoffs today and train the educators of tomorrow, expands Pell Grants and creates a tax credit to make college affordable for every American, and invests in proven-to-work early education programs.

“There is nothing more important to the future of our country than education,” said Vice President Biden after the meeting.  “This is an extraordinarily difficult moment for our country - but the President and I believe that the toughest moments present the biggest opportunities. The Recovery Act includes an unprecedented investment in America’s schools. Now it’s up to all of us to make it work.”

Vice President Biden spoke to the group following a productive working session during which Secretary Duncan solicited advice and answered questions from the more than 40 state and territory education officials in the room.  Additional school chiefs joined the meeting via conference call.

“We have an opportunity to bring about the dramatic change we need in education at the state level,” Secretary Duncan said at a press conference after the meeting.  “We’re going to first and foremost protect children. We’re going to create and save literally hundreds of thousands of jobs.  And we’re going to push a very, very strong reform agenda.  These state school chiefs are going to be my partners every step of the way.”

Going forward, Secretary Duncan and the Department of Education will work with state school heads to ensure efficient and effective expenditure of the recovery funds which include:

• $48 billion dollars to help states balance budgets, with much of that money going directly into education.

• $31 billion dollars in Pell grants and tuition tax credits to make college affordable.

• $5 billion for early childhood.

• $25 billion in construction bonds for school modernization.

• $25 billion for Title I and Special Education.

• $5 billion fund to push reforms and reward excellence. 
   

The meeting’s attendees also heard from Dr. Jill Biden – herself an educator for 28 years – who introduced her husband and spoke from personal experience about the importance of education to America’s future generations.

Doesn't this make you feel much better about the economy, now? Even though it might LOOK like your local government--especially the government schools, are feeling the squeeze & might actually have to eliminate waste and fat, along comes the Magic Obama and his merry band of Congress men & women to make things all better again! Silly taxpayers-- you really thought you were catching a break! And what is this "dramatic change at the local level" being promised, anyway? Be wary of big government pols bearing gifts...