Missouri NEA gives thumbs up on economic stimulus package

With schools often serving as a safety net for struggling families, passage of a stimulus package that helps children and their families is important to Missouri NEA members.

“We hear from teachers that as the economy worsens, more and more children are sleeping in shelters, motels, spare bedrooms and family vans as parents struggle to keep them in school,” says Chris Guinther, MNEA president and a teacher on leave from the Francis Howell School District. “We are looking for solutions to the economic problems our students face at home because it affects their ability to learn.”

Investing in education makes economic sense. A World Bank study found a dollar investment in education returns 14.3 percent a year, while over a 50-year period, common stocks returned an average of 6.3 percent a year. The U.S. Department of Education estimated that preventing one student from dropping out of school saves the government more than $209,000 over that person’s lifetime.

“Not only does the stimulus plan stop the immediate ‘leak’ in the school-funding boat,” Guinther says, “but it also invests in a 21st century learning environment for the first time in a long time.”

In the past two weeks, NEA members sent nearly 56,000 e-mails to Congress through NEA's Legislative Action Center and made 15,000 phone calls to targeted Members of Congress though NEA’s "patch-thru" call program. NEA board members and affiliate leaders visited 279 congressional offices last week-- over half of the entire Congress.

Missouri NEA sent a delegation to Washington DC to visit with Missouri’s congressional delegation. In addition, Missouri NEA members generated hundreds of phone calls and/or e-mail messages encouraging passage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

If you are interested in the completed American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 conference report, it is posted at http://www.rules.house.gov/bills_details.aspx?NewsID=4149.

Missouri Congressional District Estimates of the Two-Year Education Funding Increases

Congressional District 1 - Wm. Lacy Clay [voted YES] Federal Pell Grants ($73 million), IDEA Part B Grants ($26.7 million), ESEA Title 1, Part A ($41.1 million), Head Start ($5.1 million), Educational Technology ($0.89 million)

Congressional District 2 – W. Todd Akin – [voted NO] Federal Pell Grants ($20.7 million), IDEA Part B Grants ($25.4 million), ESEA Title 1, Part A ($2.6 million), Head Start ($1 million), Educational Technology ($0.15 million)

Congressional District 3 –Russ Carnahan [voted YES] Federal Pell Grants ($9 million), IDEA Part B Grants ($24 million), ESEA Title 1, Part A Grants ($8 million), Head Start ($4 million), Educational Technology ($0.48 million)

Congressional District 4 – Ike Skelton [voted YES] Federal Pell Grants ($26.1 million), IDEA Part B Grants ($24.9 million), ESEA Title 1, Part A Grant ($8.4 million), Head Start ($4.2 million), Educational Technology ($0.50 million)

Congressional District 5 – Emanuel Cleaver [voted YES] Federal Pell Grants ($34.2 million), IDEA Part B Grants ($25 million), ESEA Title 1, Part A Grants ($17.6 million), Head Start ($5.9 million), Educational Technology ($0.65 million)

Congressional District 6 – Sam Graves [voted NO] Federal Pell Grants ($29 million), IDEA Part B Grants ($24 million), ESEA Title 1, Part A Grants ($6.8 million), Head Start ($2.3 million), Educational Technology ($0.40 million)

Congressional District 7 – Roy Blunt [voted NO] Federal Pell Grants ($62.7 million), IDEA Part B Grants ($24.4 million), ESEA Title 1, Part A Grants ($8.4 million), Head Start ($4.1 million), Educational Technology ($0.50 million)

Congressional District 8 – Jo Ann Emerson [voted NO] Federal Pell Grants ($29.7 million), IDEA Part B Grants ($26.3 million), ESEA Title 1, Part A Grants ($38.9 million), Head Start ($4.4 million), Educational Technology ($0.84 million)

Congressional District 9 – Blaine Luetkemeyer [voted NO] Federal Pell Grants ($41.1 million), IDEA Part B Grants ($23.8 million), ESEA Title 1, Part A Grants ($13.7 million), Head Start ($3.2 million), Educational Technology ($0.50 million)

Key Tax Provisions Impacting Education in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (as opposed to the funding provisions listed above)

• Qualified School Construction Bonds. The bill creates a new category of tax credit bonds for the construction, rehabilitation, or repair of public school facilities or for the acquisition of land on which a public school facility will be constructed. The inclusion of $22.4 billion in tax credits is a huge victory for NEA and our coalition partners as it is essentially the whole America’s Better Classrooms Act – a major priority for NEA in recent years.

• Extension and Increase in Authorization for Qualified Zone Academy Bonds (QZABs). The bill would allow an additional $1.4 billion of QZAB issuing authority to State and local governments in 2009 and 2010, which can be used to finance renovations, equipment purchases, developing course material, and training teachers and personnel at a qualified zone academy.

• American Opportunity” Education Tax Credit. For 2009 and 2010, the bill would provide taxpayers with a new “American Opportunity” tax credit of up to $2,500 of the cost of tuition and related expenses paid during the taxable year.

• Computers as Qualified Education Expenses in 529 Education Plans. The bill provides that computers and computer technology qualify as qualified education expenses.

• “Making Work Pay” Tax Credit. The bill would cut taxes for more than 95% of working families in the United States. For 2009 and 2010, the bill would provide a refundable tax credit of up to $400 for working individuals and $800 for working families.

• Economic Recovery Payment to Recipients of Social Security, SSI, Railroad Retirement and Veterans Disability Compensation Benefits. The bill would provide a one-time payment of $250 to retirees, disabled individuals and SSI recipients receiving benefits from the Social Security Administration, Railroad Retirement beneficiaries, and disabled veterans receiving benefits from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.