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$10 Billion to Spare Education Jobs Draws Strong Support in Congress

Dave Ebersbach at his home in Bowling Green, Ohio. Ebersbach, 43, is one of 14 math teachers in the Toledo, Ohio school district to receive notice a few weeks ago that their jobs were cut.

—J.D. Pooley/AP

Backers Say Aid is Crucial to Prevent Wave of Layoffs While States Still Struggle

By Alyson Klein

Congress appears on track to approve a long-stalled measure providing $10 billion in aid to help states prevent what supporters say would be hundreds of thousands of teacher layoffs nationally.

The legislation is intended to help states weather the continuing economic downturn, particularly as funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which included some $46 billion in aid to states, begins to dry up.

The bill is explicit that the money would have to be used for salaries, benefits, and support services for school staff. Districts also could use it to recall or rehire former staff members or to bring on new employees for K-12 schools and early-childhood programs. There had been some concerns that states used the education aid provided under the recovery act to divert...