I have been closely watching the debates on the stimulus package for the past weeks (yes it has only been debated for a few short weeks). The package which started out based on a concept of rebuilding infrastructure and creating jobs has withered on the vine and is now chock full of tax cuts and specialized spending. While this package will hopefully pull us out of the downward spiral our economy is in, it does not have the teeth and power of some of the public works projects of the past. What is most disturbing to me is the lack of funds for construction both rehabilitation and new for our schools.
To put it simply, investing in our schools is a no brainer. By improving school facilities we invest not only in the opportunities of tomorrows students but the value of today's workers. Construction creates jobs, period. It creates jobs today that translate into future work for the people who will occupy, maintain and work in these new facilities. We also build assets for the future in real property. We can not afford to cut out spending on construction.
I have been continuing to monitor the senate debate on the stimulus package. While the press has been playing up the political power plays each party has been making the details of the bill have been changing dramatically. The Nelson Collins Amendment was proposed on February 5th and accepted into the package. This amendment to the bill has changed the math to redistribute funds in all areas. Unfortunately that amendment proposes to cut almost 20 billion dollars out of school construction funding (16 B for K-12, 3.5 B for Higher Ed).
You can find the details of the changes in appropriations through the link below. Take a specific look at lines 443 and 454 which cut school construction spending.
http://bennelson.senate.gov/news/details.cfm?id=307916
(if you have trouble with the link, cut and paste it into your browser)
It is expected that the senate will vote on these measures early next week. If any of you have connections to senators or representatives please reach out to them and ask them to keep the proposed school construction funds in the stimulus bill. Also please forward this post to your colleagues as appropriate.
This is a dramatic change to the potential outlook for school construction over the next 2-4 years. It will continue a federal legacy of neglecting our schools. We need our senators, representatives and president to step up and keep school construction in the bill, both to stimulate the economy now and invest in our future.
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For those of you who have watched this closely, there is talk of moving the funds that were taken from the stimulus package into the appropriations bill. Unfortunately if that happens it will be both a smaller package and will happen much later in the year. For construction funding to be really effective it should happen as soon as possible. Politically if it doesn't get included in this bill, it may not be included at all.
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