Jobs bill brings some hope to teachers

[sabra]

Source: AP

ATLANTA (AP) - Dave Ebersbach lost his job as a math teacher this summer, and he spends each day hoping that his poverty-stricken school in Ohio will call up and offer him his position back.

He and thousands of other teachers around the country could get their jobs back now that the Senate has approved an emergency stimulus package designed to keep educators and other public employees out of the unemployment line.

"My biggest thing is I want to go back to the school I was at for the students," said Ebersbach, 43, one of 14 math teachers in the Toledo school district to receive notice a few weeks ago that their jobs were cut. "We're in a high-poverty school and one thing the students need more than anything else is consistency. And they're not going to get that."

The $26 billion measure passed Thursday is less than was initially proposed by Education Secretary Arne Duncan, but will provide $16 billion to help states balance their Medicaid budgets and $10 billion for grants to school districts to forestall layoffs.

Republicans strenuously opposed the measure, denouncing it as yet another federal bailout the government cannot afford and calling it a giveaway to public employee unions.

Read more: http://www.wistv.com/Global/story.asp?S=12936313

[madfloridian]

1. The problem is they cut food stamps to do it.

Teachers or food

[RBInMaine]

2. Well, they also closed corporate tax loopholes too. On foodstamps, take out the junk food and that

is lots of savings. They don't need to buy soda, sugary junk of all kinds, bottled water, etc. There should be very strict limits: key food items (milk, bread, good cereals, fruits and veggies, etc.) This is a BIG issue right now across the country. People are abusing food stamp cards at ATM's in some places, and there are cases of people actually buying bottled drinks, dumping it, then using the returnable bottles to get cigarettes. So there are other ways to look at this. I want to help people, but there is some savings to be had in food stamps like anywhere else.

WE NEED TO KEEP PEOPLE EMPLOYED AND DAMN WELL NEED TO EDUCATE OUR KIDS !

[madfloridian]

3. 12 billion dollars worth of food stamp abuse??

http://preaprez.wordpress.com/2010/08/04/guns-or-butter-teachers-or-food/

That's a lot.

I would say they have priorities out of order, guns over butter.

[Lifelong Protester]

4. "giveawy to public employee unions" Give me a BREAK

I am so sick of hearing that if we employe teachers, keep class size down (or at least reasonble) that the government is caving in to unions!! I am so sick of hearing how we teachers have it made, because we have benefits that no public sector worker has. There was a fellow on CNBC arguing this point with Robert Reich (sorry, I did not get the other guy's name, but he was from the Wall Street Journal, 'nuff said).

I have been in this profession for going on 28 years. In the 90s, you were considered a 'sucker' if you went into education, because there was "no money in it". Well, now that I have been working for the public lo these 27+ years, all of a sudden I am supposed to feel I am 'over-privileged' because I have a job with benefits and a pension? Just 20 years ago I was told I was 'wasting my talent' being in education, now I'm one of the 'privileged' class because I have insurance and a pension? Don't get me wrong, I am appreciative for what I have, but I have also been here through thick and thin, and get pretty upset when I am thrown into the 'privileged' mix by the rich upper 1%. I guess they won't be happy until we are ALL groveling minimum wage serfs.

Sorry for the rant, just had to get that off my chest.