Is Rick Perry Trying to Divert Federal Money Intended for Education Jobs?

Federal Educator-Jobs Funding Set to Flow Soon—a Test for the Legislature

Posted on April 12, 2011 by Texas AFT Staff

The recently completed federal budget deal for fiscal 2011 will trigger the release of $830 million for Texas from last summer’s Education Jobs bill. The money was held up by Gov. Rick Perry’s refusal to comply with the Doggett amendment, which Austin Democratic Congressman Lloyd Doggett put in the Education Jobs bill to make sure the money would be used as intended—as an addition to, rather than a substitute for, state dollars. Doggett’s amendment will be repealed as part of the budget deal when that measure is finally approved, as expected, later this week. Texas AFT President Linda Bridges had this response:
“We agree with Congressman Doggett that the Legislature now faces a telling test. With the imminent repeal of Doggett’s “Save Our Schools” amendment, the question is whether this federal money will be used by state legislators to add to the funding in the Senate Finance Committee’s draft version of the state budget for education. That’s what should happen if this federal funding is used as Congress intended–to save educator jobs.”