Michelle Rhee Responds To President's Call For School Aid [Or, Let Me Lie Some More About LIFO]

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StudentsFirst Founder and CEO Michelle Rhee issued the following statement subsequent to President Obama's announcement Thursday of additional resources for the nation's public schools:

With our nation's education system failing far too many students, it is good news to hear that additional resources are being dedicated to our schools. The best jobs plan is to reform our broken school system, and we are glad to see that recognized in the President's approach. We hope those funds will be allocated and spent wisely, where they are most needed.

Given what's at stake, we cannot afford to waste any dollars on policies that don't work. We at StudentsFirst believe that no matter where a student comes from, he or she deserves the opportunity to have a high-quality education.

Crumbling and inadequate school facilities are a reality for far too many of our students, and represent an unacceptable injustice.

The president has also proposed funds to help avert teacher layoffs in districts across the country. Layoffs are never desirable, and layoffs in districts based solely on seniority - with no regard for the effectiveness of a teacher in contributing to student learning - are even worse.

We welcome these efforts to provide relief as states all across the country work to reform their education systems so that they focus on what is best for students.