(Stanly News & Press)
Congressman Larry Kissell (NC08) and U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan announced Tuesday the availability of an additional $383,437,416 for North Carolina’s public schools under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The State reports that recovery money is being used to provide funding for more than 19,000 education jobs.
“This funding has saved thousands of teachers’ jobs in North Carolina, and ensures that our children are getting the best education we can provide,” said Kissell, a former public school teacher.
“We cannot lose sight of the damaging effects the recession has had on the State’s education budget, and we must work to make sure our children are not being shortchanged as we work toward economic recovery.”
The State Fiscal Stabilization Fund application included many requirements for state compliance, including requiring states to provide data on how teachers and principals are evaluated and if the state has a program with all the necessary America COMPETES Act requirements.
Duncan, who visited the Eighth District in August as a guest of Kissell and participated in a town hall meeting about rural education on the campus of Richmond Community College in Hamlet, said, “With this application, North Carolina provided us with basic information on what is working in their classrooms. This data is a critical tool in helping us work together —with students, parents, teachers, administrators, community leaders and elected officials at every level — to improve education for North Carolina’s students.”
In addition to the more than $383 million announced Tuesday, the Recovery Act has provided $1,893,973,789 in funding through 11 different programs to the state of North Carolina.