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As people ponder the scope and content of the proposed economic recovery package, teacher-blogger Ariel Sacks offers food for thought:

I may plan a lesson that involves students researching something on the Internet, only to find that a good number of the computers on the laptop cart I have signed out won’t connect or won’t even turn on. We have no technician on staff to maintain the computers, and we likely never will, because we spend our limited funds on more pressing things. I can either stop using computers completely, which seems like a disservice to my students, or I can take my chances every time.

Such facilities problems plague public schools--particularly poor schools--across the country, and they will likely grow worse as the economy continues to sour. They offer a good starting point for economic recovery and stimulus plans.