October 25, 2011
U.S. Department of Education
Office of Communications & Outreach, Press Office
400 Maryland Ave., S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20202
Contact: Press Office (202) 401-1576 or press@ed.gov
Secretary of Education Says Passing American Jobs Act Would Mean $80.8 Million for Duval County Schools
Measure Would Help Prevent Thousands of Teacher Layoffs
U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan today highlighted how the American Jobs Act (AJA) would benefit Duval county public schools and provide critical resources during tough budget times. His remarks come in advance of Jo Anderson’s, senior advisor to the Education Secretary, visit to Jefferson Davis Middle School at 7050 Melvin Road in Jacksonville at 9 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 26.
Anderson will meet with Duval County Public Schools deputy superintendent, school board members, district administrators, and a union representative, among others, for a panel discussion on the AJA. He will discuss how the AJA would benefit Duval County schools and help to ensure that students are receiving a world-class education so they can compete for the jobs of the future.
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In Duval County and the state of Florida, the measure would provide:
$80.8 million for modernization efforts in Duval County to rebuild crumbling buildings and classes, which could help begin work on long overdue upgrades to schools and classrooms.
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$1.2 billion to the state of Florida for modernization projects, supporting an estimated 16,600 jobs.
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$1.6 billion to the state of Florida -- enough to prevent an estimated 25,900 teacher layoffs for one school year.
“As a country, we desperately need this legislation,” Secretary Duncan said. “America stands at a crossroads: we can roll the dice and hope to educate America’s kids amid teacher layoffs and dilapidated school buildings, or we use this opportunity to give our students the world-class education they deserve—with a strong teacher corps working in modern facilities. We need it for our kids. We need it for our teachers. We need it to put people to work. And, we need it to ensure a bright future of our nation.”
Within the Duval County public schools, the problem of aging school facilities was recently spotlighted in a survey by the Council of the Great City Schools. According to the report, Duval County needs substantial resources including:
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$38.2 million for renovation, repair and modernization of its schools. And,
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$53.2 million to pay for deferred maintenance at schools.
Overall, the President’s American Jobs Act plan will invest $30 billion in enhancing the condition of schools -- with $25 billion going to K-12 schools for repair, renovation and modernization. While the bill would help finance long overdue repairs, it would also create needed jobs and help put hundreds of thousands of Americans back to work.
For more on the American Jobs Act of 2011, click
here.
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