Teacher Layoffs? Blame Obama

RALEIGH (By Dr Terry Stoops, Carolina Journal Online) — On Feb. 17, 2009, President Obama signed the $814 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act into law. The ARRA or “stimulus” bill set aside $100 billion for education, including more than $1.3 billion for North Carolina public schools over for two years.

This year, the federal gravy train comes to a halt. School districts throughout the state will be forced to cut positions funded by this temporary source of revenue.

As usual, much of the state and local media are in denial. A recent editorial in the 'Charlotte Observer' explained, “Actually, the federal government isn’t cutting funds. That money was a one-time boost to help struggling states during the recession. Policymakers knew those federal dollars would end after two years.”