Boxer Statement on Federal Efforts to Save Teacher Jobs in California

Statement

U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) released the following statement today clarifying the impact of the recently approved federal law that will help save the jobs of up to 16,500 teachers in California and more than 160,000 teachers nationwide, according to the U.S. Department of Education.

Senator Boxer said, "The education jobs law and the guidance from the Department of Education could not be more clear: This funding can only be used to save education jobs that serve our children in public schools -- and nothing else."

Under the law signed by President Obama earlier this month, California will receive $1.2 billion for education, the most of any state, to help save up to 16,500 teacher jobs. The teacher jobs provision was based on legislation that Senator Boxer sponsored with Senator Tom Harkin, D-IA -- the Keep Our Educators Working Act -- which was aimed at keeping teachers in the classroom to protect the education of our children.

The Department of Education has now issued guidance to clarify how school districts in California and other states will benefit from the new law: http://www2.ed.gov/programs/educationjobsfund/applicant.html

The following are the relevant portions of Public Law No. 111-226, Title I, the Education Jobs Fund -- which lay out clearly how federal funds are to be spent by states and local school districts:

(5) REQUIREMENT TO USE FUNDS TO RETAIN OR CREATE EDUCATION JOBS.--Notwithstanding section 14003(a) of division A of Public Law 111--5, funds awarded to local educational agencies under paragraph (3)--

(A) may be used only for compensation and benefits and other expenses, such as support services, necessary to retain existing employees, to recall or rehire former employees, and to hire new employees, in order to provide early childhood, elementary, or secondary educational and related services; and

(B) may not be used for general administrative expenses or for other support services expenditures as those terms were defined by the National Center for Education Statistics in its Common Core of Data as of the date of enactment of this Act.

(6) PROHIBITION ON USE OF FUNDS FOR RAINY-DAY FUNDS OR DEBT RETIREMENT.--A State that receives an allocation may not use such funds, directly or indirectly, to--

(A) establish, restore, or supplement a rainy-day fund;

(B) supplant State funds in a manner that has the effect of establishing, restoring, or supplementing a rainyday fund;

(C) reduce or retire debt obligations incurred by the State; or

(D) supplant State funds in a manner that has the effect of reducing or retiring debt obligations incurred by the State.

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