Quinn, Duncan Talk Recovery

By Kevin Robinson in News on Apr 15, 2009 4:00PM

Secretary of Education Arne Duncan joined Pat Quinn in visiting Andrew Jackson Elementary School on Chicago's West side Tuesday. Duncan discussed the $3 billion in funding that the state would get as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. $2 billion of those funds will go to the state's Fiscal Stabilization Fund, which Quinn wants to use to make general aid payments to the state's school districts. The remaining $1 billion in funding will go to support programs and operations in public schools around Illinois. "These funds allow Illinois to pay its bills to schools quickly, which keeps our teachers teaching and protects our children," Quinn said.

Chicago Public Schools Chief Ron Huberman told parents that the money would be used for to buy computers and fund after-school programs. "This stimulus money gives us an opportunity for the first time in many, many years, in the backdrop of a very tough economic time, to actually expand after-school programming," Huberman said. Duncan said that he envisions using the funding to spur reforms in the schools, including performance pay for teachers and a longer school year. "The $100 billion the federal government has decided to invest in education presents us with a historic opportunity to avoid catastrophic cuts in teaching positions and learning programs" Duncan said. "We also have a chance to move beyond the status quo and invest in innovative programs that work."