Education Impact of Jobs Bill Under Debate

President Barack Obama talks about the American Jobs Act on Sept. 13 at the Fort Hayes Arts and Academic High School in Columbus, Ohio. The president toured a modernized classroom in the basement of the Civil War-era building, on a campus that was part of a five-year renovation that supported 250 jobs.
—Tony Dejak/AP

Educators and analysts are taking a hard look at whether the $55 billion K-12 portion of President Barack Obama’s nearly $450 billion jobs plan will provide the jolt to schools still feeling the pinch of a sputtering economy that the administration hopes.

The plan faces long odds on Capitol Hill, where lawmakers are struggling to trim at least $1.2 trillion from the deficit over the next 10 years in a climate hostile to tax increases. But, if the plan does pass, some sympathetic analysts argue it would help school districts cover the cost of long-delayed school repairs and avert big layoffs and program cuts.

Others, however, question the White House’s prediction of 280,000 teacher layoffs this year—a key argument raised in favor of the need for $30 billion over two...

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Correction: 
An earlier version of this article incorrectly described aspects of the spending timeline for school construction aid to districts under the American Jobs Act. States would have until Sept. 30, 2012, to obligate all of the money to districts. Districts would have from 24 to 36 months from the time of enactment to spend the funds, depending on whether they got that money through the Title I formula or through a state competition.

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