Hinchey Visits Newburgh School to Announce NEH Bookshelf Award, Read to Kindergartners and Detail Efforts He is Leading to Prevent Teacher Layoffs with Emergency Federal Funding PDF Print E-mail
Monday, 31 May 2010 19:00
Newburgh, NY - Congressman Maurice Hinchey (D-NY) today visited Horizons on the Hudson Elementary School in Newburgh to detail an effort he is leading to provide $23 billion in emergency federal funding to save 250,000 education related jobs throughout the country.  Hinchey is leading a group of 106 House Members who seek to include the funding provision in an emergency appropriations bill on which a vote is expected in the coming weeks. "With cash-strapped school districts in the Hudson Valley and throughout New York choosing between teacher layoffs and higher property taxes, this relief would provide the state with the $1.4 billion injection it needs to help prevent both," said Hinchey. "Now is the time for the federal government to act. We can't afford to be laying off teachers at a time when the strength of our education system matters more than ever to the strength of our economy.  That's why I'm working to ensure that a $23 billion funding provision that would prevent these layoffs is included as part of an emergency funding bill that will be voted on in the coming weeks. Teachers, students and parents are depending on us to solve this problem and we simply cannot let them down." On May 13, 2010, U.S. Department of Education Secretary Arne Duncan sent a letter to the House leadership asking for inclusion of the $23 billion provision in the upcoming bill.  In December 2009, the House passed the Jobs for Main Street Act, which contained the same provision. This bill was not taken up by the Senate, prompting Hinchey to lead a group of 51 House members in calling for Senate leaders to schedule a vote as soon as possible for an emergency supplemental bill to provide the funding.Last year, Hinchey strongly supported and voted to provide more than $100 billion for states to support their public school systems as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).  This funding has been credited with creating and retaining more than 300,000 education-related jobs including positions for teachers, nurses, bus drivers and custodians. It also helped states avoid a budget crisis that would have resulted in significant cuts to school system budgets.  With this funding set to run out and states still facing bleak budgetary outlooks, new action is needed to prevent layoffs.Hinchey also announced that Horizons on the Hudson Elementary School has received a "We the People Bookshelf" award from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). The school library has been given 17 classic books on the theme of “A More Perfect Union.” The Bookshelf includes Spanish translations to accompany three of the selected titles, as well as bonus materials for library visitors of all ages. Created in 1965 as an independent federal agency, NEH supports learning in history, literature, philosophy, and other areas of the humanities. School librarian, Juliette Reale, successfully applied for the national bookshelf award."It is truly a pleasure to announce that Horizons on the Hudson Elementary School is of one 4,000 schools nationwide to have received an award from the National Endowment for the Humanities this year," said Hinchey. "Students at Horizons are sure to enjoy these classic books for many years to come."Following the announcement, Hinchey read one of the books to Mrs. Larkin's class of kindergartners
 
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