April 22, 2010
NJ Senators Support Bill To Keep Educators Working
“Keep Our Educators Working Act”
would provide $600 million for NJ school aidThis week, US Senators Frank Lautenberg and Robert Menendez announced their
support for the “Keep Our Educators Working Act”, introduced by Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA). As Governor Christie continues
to slash state funding for our public schools, this bill will create a federal fund to help school districts avoid layoffs.
S.3206 will appropriate $23 billion of federal money to be distributed across the nation to support budget shortfalls
for school districts. Of this $23 billion, $627,820,000 will be made available to New Jersey’s schools in order to save
13,400 jobs that are threatened by Gov. Christie’s cuts.
In statements today, Senators Lautenberg & Menendez, both co-sponsors of the bills, had this to say:
Lautenberg:
“When schools are forced to cut teachers, New Jersey students pay the price with bigger class sizes and fewer educational
opportunities. This legislation can help school districts avoid layoffs and keep middle-class workers on the job. For the
sake of our kids and our economy, I will work with my colleagues in Washington to advance this common-sense legislation.”
Menendez:
“Principals, teachers, librarians, and school personnel are important components of a child’s
development, and layoffs would only hurt our children’s immediate future and the long-term future of our state. This
bill takes a proactive approach to ensuring that our education system remains stable in the whirlwind created by millions
of foreclosures that made parents relocate, and crippled family budgets due to unemployment.”
Visit NEA’s Legislative Action page to send Senators Lautenberg & Menendez an e-mail thanking them for supporting
New Jersey’s public education system.
180 West State Street
Trenton, NJ 08607-1211
(609)599-4561
www.njea.org