Keeping Colorado Teachers on the Job

Statement

Finally some good news out of Washington. The Senate has for once overcome its partisan bickering and passed a bill to help keep teachers on the job and preserve quality health care for thousands of Americans.

I've been working to get this passed for some time now. I cosponsored the Keep Our Educators Working Act of 2010, which was the original proposal to protect teacher jobs. I also sent a letter, along with 37 fellow Senators, to Majority Leader Reid urging him to provide states with an additional six-month extension of the Medicaid Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP).

Without the Medicaid extension, Colorado alone would have lost more than $200 million, and between 2,000 and 3,000 teachers' jobs. Public employees' jobs and education funding would also have been on the chopping block. In all, more than 900,000 public and private sector jobs across the country have been spared.

It's a good thing Washington has finally gotten down to the business of doing the peoples' work. If we are going to ensure that we leave more opportunity for our kids than we ourselves have had then we must remain committed to education--to set the table for our kids' futures; to prepare them for the competitive world that awaits them; and to build the foundation for a strong economy moving forward.

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