WASHINGTON - As school districts in New Mexico and across the country face record budget deficits and possible teacher layoffs, U.S. Senator Tom Udall, D-NM, has joined more than a dozen of his Senate colleagues in co-sponsoring the Keep Our Educators Working Act to help keep teachers in the classroom.
The legislation would create a $23 billion "Education Jobs Fund" modeled after the State Fiscal Stabilization Fund that was established through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The Recovery Act is credited with keeping some 300,000 teachers, principals, librarians and counselors in the classroom during the worst recession since the Great Depression. Through this proposed fund, New Mexico would be eligible for an estimated $151 million in grants to do the same.
"As our education workforce gets smaller, our students suffer. Schools begin increasing class sizes and cutting critical services like counseling and libraries," Udall said. "Providing New Mexico's youth with the proper support while in the classroom will have a lasting impact on our economy by ensuring these students have the knowledge and tools they need to become successful, productive citizens."
The "Education Jobs Fund" would allow school districts to keep educators in the classroom by funding compensation and benefits for new and existing employees who work in childhood, elementary, secondary or postsecondary educational and related services. The funding also can be used to provide on-the-job training activities for education-related careers.
Many states, including New Mexico, have been forced to cut core services to balance their budgets, despite some relief from the Recovery Act. As a result, school districts are forced to make do with increasingly limited resources. For example, Albuquerque Public Schools faces a record budget deficit of $43 million and is not filling 500 vacant positions; Santa Fe has a shortfall of more than $7 million and is increasing class sizes. Many colleges in New Mexico have seen cuts in state support of more than 10 percent. Of the 89 school districts in New Mexico, 24 have already requested state emergency funding this year.
Udall joins 16 of his colleagues in supporting this bill: Senators Mark Begich (D-AK), Bingaman (D-NM), Boxer (D-CA), Brown (D-OH), Burris (D-IL), Dodd (D-CT), Durbin (D-IL), Franken (D-MN), Gillibrand (D-NY), Kerry (D-MA), Lautenberg (D-NJ), Merkley (D-OR), Mikulski (D-MD), Murray (D-WA), Schumer (D-NY) and Stabenow (D-MI).
