Rebuilding will of course be tough; some towns in Vermont remain isolated and parts of New York City (including the subway system) are still flooded, but many people have insurance, and with federal, state and local aid, things can finally return to normal, even if FEMA’s disaster relief fund is currently less than $1 billion.

Wait, did I say federal aid? Nope, I’m sorry, that isn’t really available anymore. House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) and other Congressional Republicans have stated that because of the country’s deficits, disaster relief spending should be offset by cuts in other programs and, in some cases, even capped.

I think most of us would agree that the United States has a deficit problem. We spend way more than we take in, and that is bad. Accepting that, we now have a political fight on our hands about how to have sustainable finances. Do we need new taxes? What exactly should we cut? What programs need to be reformed or scrapped?

These are legitimate questions and debates to have, but it amazes me that congressmen, our country’s leaders, can think that government of the people, by the people and for the people doesn’t have an obligation to help those people pick up their shattered lives when a hurricane hits. A leader has that obligation. A leader takes care of his or her citizens.

You can’t make me believe that the survivors of natural disasters such as a hurricane or a tornado (like the one that utterly destroyed Joplin, Mo., which started a similar debate over federal relief efforts) deserved their fates or are somehow responsible for what happened. And if you claim to believe that someone who has experienced a natural disaster doesn’t deserve every single bit of help, wherever it can come from, then you are not a leader.

If you can legitimately say to me that when someone’s home and livelihood are destroyed through no fault of their own we should say, “You only deserve this much help for your problems,” or, “You don’t need it right away, let’s have a protracted partisan fight over spending first,” then you are not a leader.

If you can go to New York or North Carolina or Joplin; if you can go to San Francisco after an earthquake or Memphis after a flood and look into the eyes of people who will never get back to where they were or children who may never again find a stable home and tell them that they don’t deserve every single penny that you can scrape up, then you are certainly not a leader, and you barely warrant the title of “human being” anymore.

I understand that the GOP believes in limited government and states’ rights, but sometimes the state of Missouri or the state of New York doesn’t have the capability to handle destruction on this scale.

This is what the federal government is for; this is exactly what its purpose is. This is why we have it. Because a nation of 300 million people has the capability to do what a state of 27 million cannot. There are things in this world that you spend money on, no strings attached, and you worry about the consequences later. There are times when you have to consider paying a little bit extra, because it is simply the right thing to do.

When you are voting next year, remember this. When you are considering who you want to lead the country, remember this. If you are thinking about voting more conservative because you think they will handle the economy better, remember this. Remember that if you were hit by a hurricane, if your home was destroyed, your livelihood lost and the disaster funds exhausted, the leaders of the Republican Party would say, “Pick yourself up by your bootstraps,” and leave you with nothing but the shambles of your life.

Mark Stockwell, chief financial officer of the Clayton school district, said that Clayton’s high property value has resulted in the money being most helpful in supporting bonds for renovations and additions, also known as Qualified School Construction Bonds.

“The stimulus act is essentially playing the interest down on those bonds,” Stockwell said. “We’re going to pay less than 1.4 percent interest rate on those bonds and save $2.5 million over the life of the bonds.”

The amount saved on the Qualified School Construction Bonds, combined with other government bonds and subsidy payments, could total up to $3.5 million over the next 20 years.

Approximately $38,000 has been allocated to early intervention programs. These are programs that are intended to identify children who need help before they have been identified as having an educational disability.

Stockwell said, “We can get them caught up earlier and avoid future needs.”

Another portion of the funding goes to Title I federal revenues for resident students and Title I moneys for transfer students, totaling about $225,000 over the next two years. Title I is a government policy that aims to promote the academic achievement of disadvantaged students.

“These programs were created to support initiatives in the early-level grades,” Stockwell said. “I believe that most people would say that all kids must read effectively, or they can’t progress through the systems. Title I funding will have a big impact on that.”

Rich Carver, chief financial officer for the special school district in Missouri, said that up to $80 million has been allocated over the next two years for schools that provide special education.

“We’re in pretty solid financial shape without the stimulus package, but we did cut a few positions, not because of budget constraints,” he said. “We’ll be putting $2 million this year into the salary components.”

Much of the money will go into supporting part-time employees and professional development programs for teachers and staff.
Carver expressed concerns over what will happen once the stimulus money runs out.

“We’re going to be dealing with lower property taxes revenue, and that’s where funding is from. There’s going to be significant decrease in state finding,” he said. “We’ll have a challenge in dealing with a lower revenue base. We’ll have to make some cuts here, and it depends on how much state aid and federal aid drops to determine what cuts we’ll have to make.”

Junior Allison Pearson, an educational studies major, plans on pursuing a career in educational policy. She said she would like to participate in Teach For America, which saw a record number of college graduates last year join the program.

“I know their application rate has gone way up, and people are thinking about that because the job market is pretty shaky,” she said. “Those sorts of programs are more competitive, and keeping those jobs is probably more competitive because it’s hard to hire people. That’s definitely something to think about when going into that field. The workforce is still flexible, and it’s not as steady as you think it is.”