Feb 03 2009
Michelle Obama Says Spend Stimulus Money on Education
Most teachers believe they have job security, because children will continue going to school despite the state of the economy. Right? Well, in today’s economy, even teachers have not been impervious to job losses. Recently, there have been teachers getting laid off in schools all over the country. This is unsettling considering education is critical for the country’s future. With less teachers, the ratio of teacher to student will increase, meaning children will not get the quality education they deserve.
Michelle Obama is a strong proponent of providing more money for education! With the recently proposed stimulus package, she believes this is where the money should be spent. Spending money for education was the the predominant topic in her first solo speech as the First Lady. Michelle stated that her husband’s plan would “prevent layoffs and education cuts, create jobs and make college more affordable.”
The distribution of dollars from the stimulus package has been front page news since President Obama has been in office. It was approved in the House, but there is a lot of rhetoric on what programs should be included in the distribition of $825 billion. Before it goes to the Senate, these issues will have to be worked out. This is an economic stimulus for a weak economy, not a ‘let’s try and fix everything’ that is wrong and needs fixing. The money should go to things that will directly boost our economy.
So, does putting money in education do that? Besides preventing more job cuts for teachers, is this the best place to spend the money? No one argues that education is important and more money needs to be put into the education system and educator’s salaries. However, is the stimulus package the best resource to do this?
Schools all over the United States are struggling with this economic downfall leading to budget cuts, teacher layoff’s, and program reductions. Spending money on educaton will boost our economy and it will help our nation by preventing more layoffs of teachers. Job creation is pivitol in saving our economy and this will facilitate that process.
However, this is only one part of putting money into the education system. This is the opportunity to reform the education system. If we do not save the education system, not only will it have immediate effects, but it could negatively impact the future of our nation. Without a strong educational foundation, without opportunities for affordable college, and without students strong in science and technoloy backgrounds, this could impact the country in a way we may never recover from. We have to start NOW and this is the chance and the opportunity that can get our education system back on track for the sake of our country’s future, our economic future, our children’s future.
