A massive 787-billion-dollar stimulus package passed by Congress earlier this year saved at least 250,000 education jobs across the country, the White House said Monday. "This is one more indication of how the Recovery Act is helping soften the blow of tough times, by keeping educators on the job and teachers in the classroom," commented Vice President Joe Biden.
A report released Monday by the Domestic Policy Council contains preliminary data showing that the stimulus package has enabled states to restore nearly all of their projected education budget shortfalls for fiscal 2009 and 2010. Filling these budget gaps has allowed the Recovery Act to avert layoffs of educators in school districts and universities across the nation, the White House said.
"Initial reporting from states shows that education stimulus dollars have created or saved over 250,000 education jobs across the nation and have been invested in the kinds of reforms that will help today's students compete in a global economy," said Secretary of Education Arne Duncan.
"There is a lot more work to be done but we applaud those districts that have successfully used stimulus funding to stave off catastrophic layoffs and invest in critical reforms," he said. President Barack Obama signed the stimulus package into law on February 17.
The measure was designed to create jobs and spur economic growth through a combination of tax relief, aid to hard-hit families and state and local governments, and funding for science, technology and infrastructure projects. The White House release came after the US government announced Friday that it had closed its 2009 fiscal year with a record 1.4 trillion dollar budget deficit. Critics blame much of the deficit on anti-crisis measures, including the stimulus package.
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