After all the debate, pie charts and mudslinging, the Senate's revised stimulus bill is actually $19 billion MORE than the one passed by the House AND education funding is cut by nearly 45%.

So much for the silver lining of the crappy economic cloud.

From $142 billion to $80 billion... I'm not saying it's chump change and the bill isn't set in stone yet, but why does education funding constantly seem to be atop the chopping block? Isn't education the most surefire investment in our country's future?

The folks at the Great Education Colorado blog aren't too hot on the compromise either.

The stimulus package provides a once-in-a-generation opportunity to put people to work now in ways that will improve the economy and our communities in the future. Leaving schools -- the heart of most rural communities -- out in the cold at this moment is a mistake for which our children and communities will pay for decades to come.

What does the new deal look like? Eschoolnews.com reports:

The $80 billion in the Senate bill is $21 billion more than the Department of Education's FY2008 discretionary budget of $59 billion.

Besides eliminating all $20 billion in proposed funding for school modernization, the Senate's bill reduces the House's $79 billion in state stabilization funds--most of which would go to K-12 schools and state universities--to $39 billion.

Educational technology is slated to receive $1 billion, unchanged from the original Senate proposal--a number that ed-tech advocacy groups say is encouraging, though they'd like to see the school modernization funding restored in the final version of the bill.

On the other side of the argument:

-dumping federal money into schools may tie schools up in red tape and policy that will hinder their quality...

-it may not help the economy...

-it may further emphasize the disproportionate funding between affluent and poor districts...

-considering the US spends more money on education than most countries who consistently outperform us, funding may  not be the problem.                                

How do you think the stimulus will affect your school? Sound off in the comments section!