American Jobs Act Would Keep Teachers in the Classroom

This morning President Obama stood with teachers, veterans, small business owners, construction workers and first responders, as he called on Congress to pass the American Jobs Act.

Standing with me this morning are men and women who will be helped by the American Jobs Act. I’m standing with teachers. All across America, teachers are being laid off in droves — which is unfair to our kids, it undermines our future, and it is exactly what we shouldn’t be doing if we want our kids to be college-ready and then prepared for the jobs of the 21st century. We’ve got to get our teachers back to work. Let’s pass this bill and put them in the classroom where they belong.

The president wants to invest $30 billion to rebuild and modernize aging public schools and community colleges. He proposes an additional $30 billion to keep hundreds of thousands of educators in the classroom.

NEA President Dennis Van Roekel said, “We’ve heard from our members across the country as they have been returning to school. They are seeing overcrowded classes, and teachers are concerned about how they can provide every student with a well-rounded education when so many programs have been cut.”

Besides directly helping schools, Van Roekel said, the jobs plan will improve the education of America’s students because “unemployment isn’t just an economic issue — it’s an education issue. Our members have seen first hand the devastating impact unemployment is having on our communities and our schools. Too many of our students are coming to schools hungry and without the basic supplies they need as moms and dads struggle to make ends meet.”

Connecticut’s senators and congressional delegation will hopefully be supporting the Jobs Bill, but it’s still important that they hear from you on this important legislation. You can customize the message provided by NEA to send to your senators and representative here.