February 2, 2009

I want to thank Superintendent Mateo Rizzo from Jefferson Elementary School District for hosting us.  We’ll hear from him in a few minutes, along with San Francisco Schools Superintendent Carlos Garcia and San Mateo County Superintendent of Schools Jean Holbrooke. 

We are also joined by other school officials, elected School Board members and concerned community members.  I want you to know that I appreciate you being here this morning.

We’re here at Fernando Rivera Intermediate School to put the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act into real terms.

As you know, the economic stimulus legislation passed the House last week and is being debated in the Senate this week.  Whatever dollar amount is finally settled on, there is no question that this is an astronomical amount of money we are talking about.
Ideally there would be no need for a Recovery and Reinvestment Act.  Were our economy not in the shape that it is; if we hadn’t lost two and a half million jobs last year; if school districts and cities and counties and private companies weren’t on the brink of failing through no fault of their own due to the mishandling of our nation’s financial systems; we would not be here today.

But here we are.  President Obama has made it his goal to save or create 4 million new jobs.  These jobs need to be both immediate and long-lasting.  This stimulus fails if it is only a safety net to keep people from hitting bottom.  It must also be a stepladder to allow for upward mobility and advancement.

No sector of the economy impacts us here at home more than education.  It not only takes care of our short term needs by providing good, skilled jobs for workers of all education levels, it ensures our long-term success by training the next generation of innovators and problem-solvers.   

I asked the school officials to join me today to illustrate some of the areas where this money, once allocated, will be put to use.  These talented men and women have dedicated their lives to educating our children despite a chronic lack of resources.
I can assure you that any funds put to work here will be well spent and will benefit the greater community in many ways.

First, let me give a quick overview of the education portion of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, as passed by the House:    
• $79 billion will go directly to states to help pay for vital services like healthcare, police and fire and educations.  California is due to receive around $7.8 billion of this which, hopefully, will prevent further layoffs and cutbacks to our already-underfunded school districts. 
• $20 billion will be spent nationally on school construction, modernization and repair, of which $2.4 billion is estimated to be California’s share. 
In your press kits, there is a breakdown for the estimated amounts local school districts should see from this.  The figures are broken into three categories:
• Title I funds, which are general education funding through the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. (Known in recent years as No Child Left Behind.)
• IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) funds, which go to Special Education.
• Construction and renovation.     
The Education and Labor Committee provided local estimates for what each school district can expect.  Again, these are only estimates.  Until the President signs something into law, we won’t know the actual figures:
Bayshore Elementary School District $246,000
Belmont-Redwood Shores Elementary $790,000
Brisbane Elementary School District $226,000
Burlingame Elementary School District $813,000
Cabrillo Unified School District $1.2 million
Jefferson Elementary School District $3.8 million
Jefferson Union High School District $1.9 million
Hillsborough City Elementary School District $322,000
Pacifica School District $979,000
Millbrae Elementary School District $753,000
Redwood City Elementary School District $4 million
San Bruno Park School District $1.25 million
San Carlos Elementary School District $585,000
San Francisco Unified School District $41 million
San Mateo-Foster City School District $4 million
San Mateo Union High School District $2.4 million
South San Francisco Unified School District $4 million
We’re here to talk about K-12 funding, but before I turn this over to the Superintendents, I want to just say a quick word about higher education.  Specifically, how these recovery funds are likely to help San Francisco State University:

San Francisco State is in the middle of a major renovation and greening of the campus library.  In November, they were told by the state to put a hold on the project, which led to immediate layoffs for 85 people.  What’s more, the project was in its early stages and more workers were about to be hired, but were not.  The San Francisco State Project is exactly the type of shovel ready, energy efficient construction project that is eligible for funds in the Recovery Act.  While the university will have to apply and be approved on its merits, I have high hopes that not only will those 85 workers be back on the job soon, but so will the dozens of others needed for the completion of the project.
Also, Pell Grants and other college loan programs will be increased - both in size of award to individual students, and the number of grants given each year. 
Pell Grants are need-based awards based on a student’s Expected Family Contribution to his/her educational expenses.  The maximum grant will increase from $4,850 to $5,350 for the 2009-10 school year and an additional $200 for 2010-11.
Currently, San Francisco State has 8,100 students receiving Pell Grants.

One last - very important - point:  Unlike previous government spending programs, every nickel of this money will be completely trackable, transparent and accountable.
Once the law is signed, taxpayers can go to www.recovery.gov to see how and where the money is being spent and whether the projects are on-time and on-budget. 
This kind of accountability and oversight into how taxpayer money is spent is unheard of and I applaud President Obama for insisting that it be part of this and all future spending bills.

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