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WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama says his new jobs plan would put thousands of teachers in every state back to work, and repair and modernize tens of thousands of schools.

The president said in an address to a joint session of Congress on Thursday night that it's not fair to American kids that while places like South Korea are adding teachers, in the U.S. they're being laid off. He says this "has to stop."

The president's plan would spend $25 billion on school infrastructure to modernize at least 35,000 public schools, including spending on computer labs and on emergency repairs. He would spend an additional $35 billion to prevent layoffs of up to 280,000 teachers and support the hiring of thousands more.

The president urged Congress to pass the jobs plan now.