Education Bill Passed to Save 161,000 Teacher Jobs
Today, the House of Representatives returned from August recess for a special one day session to vote on the Education Jobs and Medicaid Assistance Act, H.R.1586. The bill passed 247-161, with only one Republican voting in its favor. President Obama plans to sign it later today.
The bill provides $10 billion to local school districts to prevent what the Department of Education estimates to be 161,000 teacher lay-offs. It includes provisions that funds can only be used for the preservation of K-12 education jobs. Districts can also use the money to rehire former employees, hire new staff, or raise salaries. In addition to supporting education jobs, the bill includes $16 billion in Medicaid assistance for states. It is estimated that the Medicaid funds will save and create 158,000 jobs and prevent layoffs of police officers and firefighters.
The Senate voted in favor of the bill last Thursday, after members of the House had already returned to their districts for the August recess. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) called representatives back to DC for an emergency session in an effort to prevent mass teacher lay-offs before the start of the school year. In a statement last week, Pelosi said, “This legislation is about creating and saving American jobs, and preventing a double-dip recession – averting massive teacher layoffs and keeping law enforcement officers from losing their jobs…It is fiscally responsible and fully paid for.”
The $26 billion bill is covered by cuts made to other programs, such as the elimination of tax incentives that encourage corporations to ship jobs overseas. However, opponents of the bill object to some specific cuts being made to programs, especially $12 billion being borrowed from food stamps. Other critics of the bill oppose teacher lay-off practices that favor seniority and say that the bill does nothing to reform such a system. The Washington Post featured an editorial last week heavily criticizing the bill, saying it is “more of an election-year favor for teachers unions than an optimal use of public resources,” and calling the teacher job crisis “exaggerated.”
Chairman George Miller (D-CA) of the House Education and Labor Committee responded to The Post in a letter to the editor today, stating, “This emergency investment in our schools will save teacher jobs and keep students in their classrooms, learning, growing and succeeding. If we were to take the path suggested by The Post, we would let our schools suffer, stifle our students’ futures and reverse the progress made in schools under the Obama administration.” Miller also appeared on MSNBC this morning to discuss the bill.
In July, the House approved a different version of the bill, which President Obama threatened to veto because it made cuts to several of his key priorities, including a $500 million cut to Race to the Top and $200 million cut to the Teacher Incentive Fund.
President Obama, who is supportive of the current bill, gave a brief speech today urging Republicans and Democrats to come together and pass the measure so that he could sign it into law. He spoke out against law makers who have opposed the bill and labeled it “special interest.” I suppose if America’s children and the safety of our communities are your special interests, then it is a special interests bill,” he said.
“It was the right decision to come back to Washington to take this important vote,” said Chairman Miller. “With this vote today, we’re taking decisive action to prevent our children from becoming victims of this economy by ensuring more teachers remain in the classroom.”