US says bill has $378m for Mass. schools

The US Department of Education said yesterday that Massachusetts could receive $378.6 million to rebuild crumbling schools if the Obama administration’s American Jobs Act passes. “Our children only get one shot at a good education; they deserve better than crumbling school buildings and half-century-old science labs,’’ Education Secretary Arne Duncan said in a statement. The department said a new report by the Council of the Great City Schools, a coalition of 66 of the country’s largest urban systems, found that Boston schools alone need $640 million for renovation, repair, and modernization and $500 million for deferred maintenance. “The American Jobs Act dollars would allow us to catch up quickly and invest in facilities that can better support the investments we are already making in curriculum, teaching, and instruction,’’ said Matthew Wilder, spokesman for the Boston public schools.