Congress passed a domestic spending bill the other day that provided $10 billion to rehire laid off teachers. The number of teachers who lost their jobs this past Spring vary from 150,000 to 300,000.
A couple of anti-union bloggers have used this range of numbers to question whether there is a crisis at all.
The obvious problem is that US schools are very local institutions and so getting an accurate number is not so easy.
But only those with an ideological or electoral agenda would question that there is a crisis. The Chicago high school student sitting in a class of 36 this week is not having doubts about it.
What is amazing to me is that media outlets, including NPR, are spouting GOP talking points.
Congress is showering schools with $10 billion to bring back teachers who’ve been laid off. States are rushing to submit their applications to qualify for this unexpected summer windfall for school districts. The Education Department estimates the measure will save 160,000 jobs. The GOP says it’s a gift to teachers’ unions.
“Showering schools with $10 billion.”
If they keep this up, when the next pledge drive comes around I’ll be sure to shower my donations elsewhere.
Fred Klonsky 
Somebody along the line said it right: if your children aren’t a priority with you, then who is? To those who balk I’d say: give me a list of where you want your tax money to go .
Usually when questions are framed correctly, people’s answers are different that what polls reflect.
“I hate Washington” is not an answer ,and “right track /wrong track is not a poll. What is it specifically that you’d like for your family and the country, is how I’d frame these questions.
If the media is duping the people, we have to see that they don’t.