Education bailout hits obstacles
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WASHINGTON | Congress bailed out Wall Street and the auto industry, but it appears to have drawn the line — at least for now — at rescuing teachers.
A Democratic plan to send $23 billion to the states to save the jobs of 100,000 to 300,000 public school teachers, librarians, counselors and other employees slated for layoffs looks dead for the time being.
Blame it on election year politics.
The anti-Washington, anti-spending mood has become so potent that even Democrats are antsy about helping teachers, one of their most longstanding and generous allies.
“We are in a situation now where a portion of our caucus is rebelling against just about any kind of spending,” said Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, a Kansas City Democrat.
Layoffs already have begun. Advocates for teachers are calling them “catastrophic.” Critics of the emergency aid maintain that states need to clean up their fiscal acts and make reforms.
In the meantime, large states such as California and Texas each are expected to lose more than 30,000 teachers and other personnel, according to White House estimates.
In Kansas, where a rough battle in the Legislature
Read more: http://www.kansascity.com/2010/05/30/1981478/education-bailout-hits-obstacles.html#ixzz0pW1F3GwX