Today, Congressman Kurt Schrader announced that Oregon is set to receive $117.9 million in education jobs funding for the 2010 – 2011 school year. The funding was made available to Oregon through the passage of HR 1586, the Education Jobs and Medicaid Assistance Act, which passed on August 10, 2010.

“With the state facing a severe budget deficit, the federal funding provided in this bill is critical for our state and for our children,” said Schrader. “Education plays a vital role in any economic recovery. With the Recovery Act I worked hard to make sure that states had the flexibility to use funding as quickly as possible. I am pleased that the state will be able to yet again, access this money quickly. We worked hard to make it flexible for different school districts’ needs while remaining deficit neutral. The package is paid for by closing tax loopholes that encourage outsourcing American jobs overseas and by reprioritizing other spending toward education and healthcare. This infusion of dollars will provide our schools with the resources to retain jobs and hire quality educators. Without this help, school districts throughout the state would be forced to lay off educators and increase class sizes.”

“While this is welcome news, it is a short-term fix for a long-term funding problem for K-12,” said State Superintendent Susan Castillo. “I look forward to working with state leadership to address this persistent K-12 funding challenge in our state.”

Last month, Schrader voted to pass HR 1586, which allocated more than $26 billion in state aid. Of the $26 billion, $10 billion goes towards aiding states in preventing layoffs in education. An estimated 1,600 jobs will be funded through the allocation in Oregon alone allowing schools to retain teachers at a time when students need it most. 

The funding made available to the state is to be released on the evening of September 13th or early September 14, 2010.