Where's the money coming for all of this? My wife and I are teachers, and I fear that we're going to be labeled "rich" by Obama and a Democratic congress. Then I'll be paying for my own pay raise plus all of these unfunded promises. My wife and I will be left with less than we have now. Let's talk fiscal responsibility too. The current admin has mandated things and not funded them. Remove anything you can't bankroll. If you want to improve poor schools, find a way to improve family involvement in those schools. Don't just throw cash at a problem and expect it to go away. The last thing we need is a bigger government in this country telling people how they are victims. Money doesn't necessarily create hope and happiness. Give people a reason to band together as a community and hope for making their part of the world a better place through hard work.

The question of where the money comes from is old and warn out... We know the money must come from somehwere. The point that makes the difference is the promise Obama made in his pseech to go through the budget and throw out what is not working, so the money that is allocated goes to making what is working work better, with improvements. At present, we are leaving our teachers with alot of half-resolved ideas, and no real support to get them done. I am asked/told to give more and more of my own time to encourage my students and parents to help themselves anyhow, without compensation at all. So, frankly, I'd rather at least have better considered and funded guidlelines, that may eat up some of this "raise", than no money and no guidelines hanging over my head, while administration continually threaten us with losing our job because there is no money to run the schools. The states need to legally fund schools as well. And, it is not working, and has been getting worse and worse and worse for eight years. EIGHT IS ABSOLUTELY ENOUGH!!! We need to give someone a CHANCE to make strides... And, yes it might take some money out of your pocket... But, it IS to create a better result in the long run! This I am sure of!... We can no longer leave everybody else around us to do it alone, simply because we think WE are alright... If our brothers and sisters are NOT OK, WE ARE NOT OK! We are our brothers and sisters keepers... We ARE all connected... We MUST stop being scared of change, and make the changes necessary to save ourselves, as a planet. The time is NOW!! It is time for Obama and Biden... BRAVE CHANGE IS THE ONLY CHANGE POSSIBLE!!

Instead of funding Mega stadiums, and sports venues, and useless wars, get the money into the public schools. All children need a great education, all teachers need better backing, the entire United States needs a better educated public, instead of a select few.

Teacher unions are nothing more that a special interest group focused on themselves. We would be better off without them.