In President Obama’s 2011 budget, he allocated:
- $1.8 billion for Michigan to develop better teachers and classrooms to meet 21st century challenges in an effort to foster educational excellence, improve student achievement and reward successful outcomes to prepare our nationa’s children for global competitiveness.
- $900 million nationwide for School Turnaround Grants to help provide the resources needed to turn around the lowest performing schools.
- $1.4 billion to enhance the President’s Race to the Top challenge$300 million in new grants to develop and implement curricula and improve teaching and learning in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
How much federal funding did your school district receive?
In addition, Congress has yet to authorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act and yet, the President wants to increase the number of effective teachers and principals, support student achievement, invest in the next generation of scientists and engineers and others modernize the current education system in the US. I realize that every school district is faced with a number of difficult decisions in reducing their budgets, cuttings services and programs, laying off teachers and shuttering schools. I also know the importance of collectively working to bring more federal dollars to off set the lost revenue from the state and local community.
It is time we shift our focus and turn it onto our children. We have a lot of work to do in 2011.