No Teaching Job Left Behind

Iowa Democrat Sen. Tom Harkin wants to see $23 billion spent to keep school districts across the nation from laying off teachers. 

The Senate's leading Democrat on education issues proposed a $23 billion bailout Wednesday to help public schools across the country avert widespread layoffs, a sequel to the economic stimulus law that has propped up teetering state budgets for the past year.

The Obama administration immediately expressed support for an education jobs bill to help states through fiscal crisis, hoping to build momentum for the proposal from Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa).

In an appropriations hearing on Capitol Hill, Harkin noted that layoffs of teachers and other school personnel could exceed 100,000 before the next school year starts.

"We must act soon," Harkin said. "This is not something we can fix in August. We have to fix it now." Harkin has a pivotal role as chairman of the Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions and chairman of the appropriations subcommittee on education.

The Democratic-led House late last year approved a measure of similar scope to help save education jobs, but it stalled in the Senate. Whether Harkin's proposal will gain traction remains to be seen. Senate Republicans, who have opposed the Democratic majority on most spending programs, can seek to block legislation through filibuster. 

However, I think it's going to be awfully tough to see Republicans filibuster100,000 teacher jobs in an election year.  On the other hand, this is the Republican party we're talking about, and if they're convinced that there's nothing they can do that will annoy voters more than Obamacare, they may very well tell Harkin to take a hike.

Most certainly Republicans are going to complain this isn't paid for and demand $23 billion be cut from somewhere else.  My suggestion is military spending, but then again, I'm not in Congress (thank God). We'll see how this pans out.  The reality is there's a lot more local/county government workers besides teachers who are going to lose their jobs in the next year or so due to massive budget cuts that will be necessary this year and next.

Teachers are only a small part.