[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 155 (Monday, October 17, 2011)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6565-S6566]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                               EDUCATION

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, Bart Giamatti was a well-rounded man. He was 
the president of the Yale University and also Commissioner of Major 
League Baseball. He once called education the ``heart of a civil 
society.'' But he also said the heart of education is the act of 
teaching.
  The commitment to educate the children of this Nation is our greatest 
investment in our collective future. It is the key to keeping the 
American dream alive and crucial to staying competitive in a global 
economy. Teachers are the stewards of that investment. But the terrible 
recession that has rocked our national economy has threatened their 
ability to give our children the education they deserve.
  Since 2008, State and local budget cuts have cost this country 
300,000 education jobs. Nearly 200,000 of those jobs were lost in the 
last year alone. Schools are feeling the pinch of a larger class size, 
especially at the elementary and middle school levels. The number of 
children in an elementary school classroom has a direct correlation to 
student achievement and even college graduation rates.
  Districts also shortened schooldays, school years, and eliminated 
summer

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school programs that help underprivileged children to compete in the 
world. They have cut art and music classes and afterschool activities 
that keep students engaged and prevent everything from high school 
dropouts, delinquency, to even teen pregnancy.
  While all of these cuts have been difficult, things could be much 
worse. The Recovery Act and the Education Jobs Fund provided money to 
keep 422,000 teachers in the classroom for a year. School districts 
across the country used that Federal funding to keep class sizes small 
and ensure students are given the world-class education they deserve. 
They used this funding to ensure America's children are trained for the 
jobs of today and prepared for the challenges of tomorrow.
  Still, as the economy continues to struggle, so do State and local 
budgets. That means schools that are already doing more with less will 
continue to be at risk. Although Democrats have saved hundreds of 
thousands of teacher jobs already, schools have still lost 300,000 
educators since this recession began.
  And the brain drain could even get worse. State and local budgets 
could cost as many as 280,000 teacher jobs next year unless we do more. 
That is why President Obama proposed we invest $30 billion as part of 
the American Jobs Act to keep our schools well staffed and to ensure 
our children are well educated. This is not deficit spending. This is 
money that will be paid for. Republicans blocked that job-creating 
legislation which would have put 2 million people to work in classrooms 
and at construction sites across the country. But Democrats have not 
given up on keeping our schools fully staffed. Nearly 300,000 teacher 
jobs--I repeat--are at risk, and so is the quality of our education 
system.
  Unless school districts get a helping hand, many will be forced to 
make more difficult choices between laying off educators and going 
without schoolbooks, paper, and other supplies.
  Democrats will pursue the President's plan to keep nearly 400,000 
teacher and support staff where they belong, in the classroom--a $30 
billion investment, fully paid for, which will help school districts 
not only avoid layoffs but also rehire tens of thousands of teachers 
who have already lost their jobs because of budget cuts.
  It will also commit $5 billion to retaining the police, firefighters, 
and first responders who work so hard to keep our communities safe, and 
to rehiring those who have already been laid off in these tough 
economic times. Our economy cannot afford to lose more jobs. Our 
communities cannot afford to lose the men and women who keep us safe 
and secure. Our Nation cannot afford to lose the competitive edge a 
world-class education system gives us in a constantly changing world. 
Democrats are committed to protecting the heart of education Bart 
Giamatti spoke of, the talented teachers who will shape our civil 
society.
  Mr. President, will the Chair announce the business of the day?

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