The Education Jobs bill that recently passed through Congress has many teachers sighing a breath of relief. New York is slated to receive more than $607 million to fund school districts, and now government officials are working to secure those funds. Governor David Paterson recently submitted his plan to the U.S. Department of Education in order to secure the $607 million allotted to the state's school districts. The state will then distribute the money to schools according to a primary funding formula to restore, retain and create teacher jobs around the state. "In this time of economic crisis, our state has been forced to make deep cuts across every area of our budget, including substantial cuts to education," said Paterson. "Those federal funds will help mitigate many of these cuts by retaining and creating teacher jobs. In just the week since this bill was signed into law, the legislative leaders and I have worked together to formulate a sound plan to ensure these funds are provided to our school districts in a timely manner." According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the employment of teachers is expected to increase by 13% through 2018.  |