STIMULUS 2: What To Include In The Next Stimulus?

 If there is a second stimulus -- odds are there won't be but let's pretend otherwise -- what should it include by way of education funding?  Other more reformy types will disagree but my vote would not be for adding to the innovation and incentive funds.  There's too much of that distraction already, without any real chance of being big enough money to make a difference.  (And way too much USDE micromanaging in the works already.) 

Instead, I'd go for more stabilization money to prevent classroom layoffs.  Something to help make sure that pensions and benefits don't get destroyed.  Some sort of summer school or extended year subsidy to try and make up for all the summer school that's being cut.  Boring stuff, I know.  I'd love to do more, but I feel like everyone's been putting the cart before the horse these last few months. Trying to do too much with too little.  Looking a little bit too far ahead and not looking at the immediate economic problems.

The Administration knows that the first Stimulus underestimated the problem, and the Department recently accelerated its laggardly schedule for getting the SFSF dollars out the door.  I'm told that one of the main reasons was data showing that state budgets are much worse than was previously thought.