Education leaders and Senators call for passage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009

A press conference was held today regarding the economic recovery package with Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ), Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and the President of National Education Association, Dennis Van Rockel.

Investing in education was discussed as the main solution to economic recovery and the road to it runs through public schools, according to the NEA. The goal should be to improve the standards of public schools across America. It needs to be a top priority according to Van Rockel. The importance of giving teachers better support was also a topic that the NEA wants to highlight.

Senator Durbin stated that passing the American Recovery Bill will help create new jobs, which will stabilze U.S economy. The Bill will also build and extend infrastructure, improving school standards and “get money out quickly to the States were the jobs will be created,” said Senator Durbin. To give America a way out of the financial crises, we need at least a handful of Republican Senators to step up and say ” I will join President Obama and the Democrats to make a difference in this economy,” said Senator Durbin.

Senator Lautenberg pointed out that now is the time to change America’s economy and the only way is to “get to work.” He also discussed the impact the economy has had on everyone and especially workers.

Senator Merkley stated that actions has to be made now, to aviod the result of the housing market crises, employment crises and the decreasing education level in America. “The economy will not cure itself and an example of that is the Great Depression,” said Merkley. We cannot sit back and rely on the economy to change by itself, “I’m here today to say that it did not work in the 1930s and it is not going to work in 2009″, stated Merkley.

By passing the American Recovery Act the economy will be improved from both short and long term perspectives.