Huberman: Stimulus Funds for Computers and After-school

Huberman: Stimulus Funds for Computers and After-school
U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan and Governor Pat Quinn address students at Andrew Jackson Language Academy. (WBEZ/Linda Lutton)
Huberman: Stimulus Funds for Computers and After-school
U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan and Governor Pat Quinn address students at Andrew Jackson Language Academy. (WBEZ/Linda Lutton)

Huberman: Stimulus Funds for Computers and After-school

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About $3 billion dollars in stimulus money will be making its way to Illinois schools soon. U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan and Governor Pat Quinn visited a Chicago school this morning to announce the massive injection of federal funds.

The kids in the gymnasium at Andrew Jackson Language Academy had some important questions for Quinn and Duncan, who were joined by Chicago school leaders.

WOMAN: This is Marisa Varveris, and she’s a seventh grader. VARVERIS: How will the stimulus package be spent in Chicago, and how will we as students notice the difference?

Chicago schools chief Ron Huberman responded that CPS will spend its money on computers and afterschool programs.

HUBERMAN: This stimulus money gives us an opportunity for the first time in many, many years, in the backdrop of a very tough economic time, to actually expand after-school programming.

Huberman said he hoped students could study art and foreign languages after school. Jackson principal Mathew Ditto was happy to hear that new computers might be on the way. Parents raised funds to pay for the 33 iMac computers in the school’s lab now.

Unfiltered: Education Stimulus Press Conference