We all remember having a teacher who made a tremendous difference in our lives. My late mother, Janna, was an Oklahoma public school teacher who instilled in me both the value of obtaining an education and the importance of a strong school system. Those same values guide me everyday in Congress.
In my family there is no shortage of educators. My mother-in-law’s whole career has been spent working in schools and helping them run more smoothly and efficiently. It’s also no secret my father steers one of the state’s two major universities, but he teaches American Federal Government there as well.
John F. Kennedy once said that “the course of civilization is a race between catastrophe and education. In a democracy such as ours, we must make sure that education wins the race.” If anything, this sentiment has become even more relevant with the passing of time. A society with a strong education system is far less likely to lose its hope for a better, truly free future.
During Teachers Appreciation Week, May 3rd – May 9th, we honor the dedication, passion, and caring nature of teachers. Teachers are the backbone of our public school system and a guiding force in helping our children develop into healthy, happy, and successful adults.
Investing in our schools and our teachers is the best economic investment we can make as a state. Education is a major spoke in the wheel of job creation. If we are to successfully create high paying jobs and build an economic environment suitable to potential new employers, we must have an education system that delivers a top-notch work force.
This year Congress passed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act which provided record breaking investment in local education. Some of the highlights of the stimulus package include:
• $53.6 billion for a State Fiscal Stabilization Fund, which among other things will help prevent teacher layoffs and massive cutbacks by state schools, colleges, and universities. The legislation also included $5 billion in incentives and innovation grants to be distributed by the Secretary of Education to promote education reform.
• $13 billion for the Title I program, including $10 billion for Title I grants to help disadvantaged kids with reading and writing and $3 billion for Title I School Improvement Grants. Oklahoma already has received just under $110 million of this funding for school districts across the entire state.
• $12.2 billion in additional IDEA funding grants to ensure adequate resources for our most vulnerable students. Oklahoma will receive over $157 million of this funding.
• $650 million for education technology improvements in order to invest in 21st century classrooms, including funding computer labs and training teachers to use technology. In Oklahoma, we receive just over $7 million for these efforts.
• $300 million for improving teacher quality
• $250 million for statewide data systems, in order to provide data for teachers and administrators that is useful in improving student achievement
These investments are designed to prevent teacher layoffs and other cuts in education services by hard-pressed local school districts.
Teachers spend more time with children on an average day than most parents do. They teach our kids values, hard work, and personal responsibility. Teachers are more than just purveyors of facts and figures – they motivate, encourage, and challenge tomorrow's leaders. Future doctors, lawyers, businesspeople and public servants are sitting in classrooms today just waiting to be inspired. By making a difference in young people's lives, teachers shape our future.
Please take the time to thank our teachers this week and anytime you can – your kindness will be appreciated – and for more information on how you can send a “Thank You” to a special teacher in your life, visit the National Education Association’s website http://www.memberthanks.com/.
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Congressman Dan Boren (D-Muskogee) represents Oklahoma’s Second Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives and serves on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and the House Committee on Natural Resources.
