Recover Act Education jobs

On Jan. 30, the Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board released job numbers showing that Recovery Act education funding played a significant role in stabilizing the nation's economy and in staving off a major fiscal crisis in 2009.

For the quarter ending Dec. 31, 2009, grant recipients reported over 300,000 education jobs, such as teachers, principals, librarians, and counselors. In total, the Department of Education funding supported approximately 400,000 positions including corrections officers, public health personnel, and construction workers. These numbers are consistent with the data submitted in October during the first round of Recovery Act reporting.

The consistency of these jobs numbers reflects the steady and profound impact of Recovery Act funding that is being used to fill over $40 billion in projected state education budget shortfalls for FY '09 and FY '10. State and local budgets remain strained, but the second round of ARRA reporting makes clear that most school systems throughout the country would be facing more severe fiscal situations without this funding.