Texas Shuts Door on Millions in Education Grants

[white cloud]

Texas will not compete for up to $700 million in federal education money, Gov. Rick Perry said on Wednesday, calling the Obama administration’s main school improvement grant program an unacceptable intrusion on states’ control over education.

Mr. Perry’s decision, days before a Jan. 19 deadline, interrupted months of work by Texas officials and a consulting company financed by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to prepare the application for the federal grant competition, known as Race to the Top. Texas had been eligible to win up to $700 million of a total of $4 billion the department will award for encouraging charter schools, improving teacher instruction, overhauling schools and joining an effort to adopt common academic standards.

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http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/14/education/14texas.html

[sonias]

1. Obama criticizes Texas for not seeking education money

AAS 1/20/10
Obama criticizes Texas for not seeking education money

Texas took some licks from President Barack Obama and his education chief Tuesday over the state's decision not to compete for a federal education grant worth as much as $700 million.

(snip)

Obama singled out Texas on Tuesday while announcing plans to ask for an additional $1.35 billion for the grant program in next year's budget and to open it up directly to local school districts.

"Innovative districts like the one in Texas whose reform efforts are being stymied by state decision-makers will soon have the chance to earn funding to help them pursue those reforms," Obama said, without naming specifics.

A major strike against Texas in the grant competition would have been its refusal to participate in a state-led effort to develop common curriculum standards for math and English. Not joining that effort would have cost the state 50 points out of the 500 points possible in the competitive program.

Ha sounds like the Feds are going to let the school districts apply directly and bypass Perry and his state education czar!

:applause:

Sonia

[sonias]

2. Obama seeks $1.35 billion expansion of education plan; Gov. Perry lashes out

Ft Worth Star-Telegram 1/19/10
Obama seeks $1.35 billion expansion of education plan; Gov. Perry lashes out

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama, delivering a schoolhouse pitch Tuesday for a $1.35 billion expansion of his signature education plan, promised to "raise the bar" on what is expected of public school teachers and students.

The expansion would allow individual districts, such as the hard-pressed Fort Worth district, to apply directly for some of the federal money.

(snip)

Fort Worth district Superintendent Melody Johnson was relieved to hear that the district might be able to vie for the funds after all.

"We’re not in a situation where we can afford to overlook any grant out there," she said. "We will be watching that very closely."

Take that Perry!

Sonia

[sonias]

3. Texas Gov. Perry's costly lesson in bunk

AAS Editorial 1/22/10
Texas Gov. Perry's costly lesson in bunk
EDITORIAL BOARD

Whatever happened to local control in education?

That is the question many Texas school districts officials are asking in light of Gov. Rick Perry's decision to reject as much as $700 million in federal aid through the competitive Race to the Top grant program.

Perry scored political points in rebuffing federal grants with rules, he said, that would amount to a federal takeover of public schools. It is the kind of political rhetoric that resonates with Perry's GOP base.

But it is bunk.

Perry's decision effectively prevents school districts from exercising local control. The grants would have been awarded to Texas, but individual school districts would make decisions about whether to apply for them. Perry shut the door for all school districts.

The Texas Association of School Boards did not take a position on the governor's decision, said Jackie Lain, associate executive director for the association. She said many school districts would have "liked the opportunity to apply for the grants, but the governor's decision has foreclosed that opportunity."

The recent news from the Obama administration is that they of course want local school districts to apply for future grants directly - and bypass the Perry gridlock.

:applause:

Sonia

[sonias]

4. State secrets on Texas school front

Houston Chronicle 2/9/10
State secrets on Texas school front

Before being ordered by Gov. Rick Perry not to compete for a chunk of the $4.3 billion “Race to the Top” federal grants for public schools, staffers at the Texas Education Agency had put in more than 800 hours preparing an application.

Inquiring minds, including my colleague Ericka Mellon, wanted to look at what our employees had proposed and filed requests for copies of the draft under the Texas Public Information Act.

But TEA Commissioner Robert Scott, a Perry loyalist, ordered agency attorneys to appeal to the attorney general, asking that the work be declared a state secret.

(snip)
Actually the TEA letter to the attorney general offers an intriguing additional possible reason for keeping the material secret.

"Although the state of Texas did not submit an application for the Race to the Top Fund in Phase 1 of the process, the state is eligible to submit an application for Phase 2," he wrote. "The requested information consists of draft documents concerning TEA's development of Texas' application for the Race to the Top Fund. These draft documents will be utilized for TEA's Phase 2 application."

(snip)
Is Gov. Perry being clever here? Is he saying no to the money in order to throw red meat to conservatives in the Republican primary, but plans to say yes afterward — sort of like how his pal Sarah Palin said yes to the Bridge from Nowhere before saying no to it?

Just like Perry. He's against it, then he's for it. And of course the "for it" part won't happen until after the primary. :eyes:



Sonia