Obama Chides Governors for Education Cuts
President Barack Obama told U.S. governors attending a luncheon Monday that they are cutting too much funding for education and need to make reforms while continuing to invest in the future of America’s students.
While acknowledging the tough economic climate for state governments, Obama cited the need to prioritize the long-range significance of a strong education system.
“We’ve all faced some stark choices over the past several years, but that is no excuse to lose sight of what matters most, and the fact is that too many states are making cuts to education that I believe are simply too big,” Obama told a White House gathering with the National Governors Association that included some of his harshest Republican critics.
“Nothing more clearly signals what you value as a state than the decisions you make about where to invest,” Obama said, “Budgets are about choices, so today I’m calling on all of you: invest more in education, invest more in our children and in our future.”
The luncheon is an annual affair that highlights the constant tension over funding issues between the federal government and states. One table included Republican governors and constant Obama foes Chris Christie of New Jersey, Jan Brewer of Arizona, Bobby Jindal of Louisiana and Nikki Haley of South Carolina.
Obama noted the economic outlook is improving from the early days of his administration, saying, “our recovery is gaining speed.”
However, he warned that a failure to maintain significant government investment in education now would cause economic harm in the future by leaving U.S. workers unable to compete in a global marketplace.