In a speech to the nation’s governors on Tuesday, President Obama urged states to increase funding for education. Telling governors, “I know something about trying to deal with tight budgets”, the President outlined two areas of education that “demand our immediate attention” – getting more teachers in the classroom and increasing opportunities to access higher education.
Echoing themes from his State of the Union speech, President Obama called on governors to pressure Congress to pass legislation to support teacher jobs, an initiative he announced in September 2011. Citing 250,000 education jobs lost, the President recounted the important role teachers play in the lives of children.
Additionally, President Obama called for greater opportunities and access to colleges/universities, community college, and other postsecondary educational opportunities. With only 21 states requiring students to stay in school until they graduate or turn 18, President Obama called on the remaining 29 states to raise their expectations that all students should finish high school.
CEC is pleased that the President’s remarks focused on the importance of investing in education. Earlier this month the President’s budget proposal for FY 2013 did include an increase in education funding by seeking support for programs like Race to the Top and level funding cornerstone programs such as IDEA. At a time when states and school districts are confronting a grim fiscal outlook, CEC would have hoped for a greater investment in programs that have proven effective over the years, such as IDEA.
Read President Obama’s remarks here.