President Obama is finalizing a jobs package that could include a program to refurbish school buildings nationwide and provide tax breaks to encourage firms to hire workers.
The package, to be unveiled in early September, is Obama’s chance to convince skeptical voters he can bring down the 9.1 percent unemployment rate and steer the nation from another recession — ahead of next year’s election.
Critics say the president will have a difficult time getting Republicans to accept any new spending plan.
But advisers familiar with his strategy say Obama will argue that more stimulus is needed to stem the worse-than-thought crisis.
Retrofitting schools with energy-efficient technology would let the government directly hire and also give a boost to the clean- energy sector.