New $23B for teacher subsidies falters in House
WASHINGTON—A $23 billion payout to save thousands of educators' jobs faltered Thursday -- perhaps for good -- to election-year jitters among moderate Democrats over deficit spending and only lukewarm support from the White House.
The proposal's chief advocate in the House abruptly canceled a committee meeting to put the money in a war spending bill. Its lead sponsor in the Senate gave up trying to do it, acknowledging he lacked the necessary votes.
The developments jeopardized what progressives in Congress and some members of the Obama administration had described as a life raft for 100,000 to 300,000 teachers and other school personnel whose billions of dollars in stimulus salary subsidies run out this fall.
Outside the Beltway, educators said it wasn't clear how big a hit they would take if more federal money didn't come through.
"The specter of layoffs is there," said Maryland Department of Education spokesman Bill Reinhard. "The economy has not totally turned around yet."
Maureen Dinnen, a retired teacher and school board member in Broward County, Fla., said 800 teacher jobs are in jeopardy there. The limbo, she said, wakes her up at night.
"I think to myself, the future of our schools, that's just as important as the auto industry or the financial interests," Dinnen said. "That's our lifeblood for the
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LATEST EDUCATION NEWS WIRE UPDATES
- House spending bill trimmed, Senate OKs war funds(AP, 3:50 a.m.)
- War funding bill passes Senate (AP, 5/27/10)
- New $23B for teacher subsidies falters in House (AP, 5/27/10)
- Highlights of RI House budget plan passed Thursday(AP, 5/27/10)
- Senate OKs war funding; House to cut spending bill (AP, 5/27/10)
LATEST K-12 EDUCATION NEWS
- LA schools rescind 522 teacher layoff notices (AP, 5/27/10)
- NH teacher charged with student calculator thefts (AP, 5/27/10)
- Ex-justice O’Connor gives schools poor civics marks(Boston Globe, 5/26/10)
- LA schools rescind 522 teacher layoff notices (AP, 5/26/10)
- Rell signs bill to boost Conn. bid for aid (AP, 5/26/10)