On April 1, 2009, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan announced that $44 billion for states and schools is now available under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009. This funding will lay the foundation for a generation of education reform and help save hundreds of thousands of teaching jobs at risk of state and local budget cuts. On Friday, April 3, 2009, the Secretary convened a briefing for over 150 education association/organization leaders to discuss the implementation of ARRA.