Leslie Getzinger
202/585-4373
lgetzing@aft.org
Statement by Randi Weingarten,
President, American Federation of Teachers,
on States Cutting Education Funding
The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities released a report yesterday stating that 27 states have cut education funding and that additional states most likely will follow suit.
WASHINGTON – States all over the country are facing dire economic circumstances, but cutting education funding will only prolong the pain, not relieve it. If education programs are cut, it won’t just be students who pay the price, but the nation as a whole. We cannot let up on adequately preparing our nation’s future workers and leaders, which is why the AFT is working for a federal economic stimulus program to help cash-strapped states. We must reinvest, not disinvest, in education and other public institutions that build communities and bolster the long-term health of our economy.
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The AFT represents more than 1.4 million pre-K through 12th-grade teachers; paraprofessionals and other school-related personnel; higher education faculty and professional staff; federal, state and local government employees; nurses and healthcare workers; and early childhood educators.











