The Obama administration has released a report and an interactive map The American Jobs Act: Creating Jobs through Investments in Our Nation’s Schools provides an analysis of the physical disrepair of American school buildings and the difficult budget climate that school districts are trying to cope with.
Through the American Jobs Act, the Obama Administration has proposed $25 billion to renovate over 35,000 public schools across the states and $5 billion to upgrade infrastructure at America’s community colleges.
$30 billion will also be put aside to keep hundreds of thousands of educators in the classroom.
“Upgrading America’s schools is a smart investment,” Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said.
“There’s a short-term return in the form of jobs to do the work, and in the long term our students—and our country—will benefit from modern facilities and technology.”
Through the act, $30 billion will be available to enhance the condition of public schools, with $25 billion allocated to K-12 schools. Rural schools and Bureau of Indian Education funded schools will be priorities as part of the act, and $5 billion will be used to upgrade infrastructure at community colleges across the country.
“Congress should act now and pass the American Jobs Act, to improve our schools, create jobs, and prepare our students for 21st century careers,” said Melody Barnes, Director of the White House Domestic Policy Council.
School districts nationwide estimate $271 billion in deferred building maintenance, or more than $5,000 per student.
The $30 billion in funding that will be made available to support nearly 400,000 education jobs as originally voted down by Congress in October. However, the act would look to prevent layoffs, while also allowing educators to be hired or rehired.
Over the 12 months ending October 2011, nearly 60 percent of all local government job losses were teachers and education personnel, says a press release.