Stimulus 'saved 250,000 education jobs': White House

"This is one more indication of how the Recovery Act is helping soften the blow of tough times, by keeping educators on the job and teachers in the classroom," commented Vice President Joe Biden.

A report released Monday by the Domestic Policy Council contains preliminary data showing that the stimulus package has enabled states to restore nearly all of their projected education budget shortfalls for fiscal 2009 and 2010.

Filling these budget gaps has allowed the Recovery Act to avert layoffs of educators in school districts and universities across the nation, the White House said.

"Initial reporting from states shows that education stimulus dollars have created or saved over 250,000 education jobs across the nation and have been invested in the kinds of reforms that will help today's students compete in a global economy," said Secretary of Education Arne Duncan.

"There is a lot more work to be done but we applaud those districts that have successfully used stimulus funding to stave off catastrophic layoffs and invest in critical reforms," he said.