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Obama Signs Economic-Stimulus Package

President Barack Obama today signed into law a $787 billion that would provide some $115 billion in aid to public education.

The bill, crafted after days of tense congressional negotiations last week, includes money to help local school districts avoid layoffs and program cuts, boosts funding for special education and programs for disadvantaged students, and offers the prospect of funding for school repairs and modernization, among other elements.

“We’re making the largest investment in education in our nation’s history,” Mr. Obama told an audience in Denver before signing the measure, saying the funds will be used to prevent teacher layoffs, train new teachers, and build modern classrooms and new school science labs,...