California stands to lose out on up to $700 million in federal education money because of two entrenched problems in the state's public schools: a contentious relationship with the teachers union and a weak data system for tracking student performance.
Reviewers cited those as significant factors in explaining why California didn't make the cut in the first round of the nationwide competition known as Race to the Top. States are being offered a second chance to compete for a share of nearly $4 billion in education grants from the Obama administration – but California's odds of winning anytime soon appear low.
State education leaders are now deciding whether California should even bother to reapply, given its monumental weaknesses in the first round.
Now let's keep in mind, this is a Democratic administration telling us this!
11 comments:
I think I mentioned before that our district (a top performing district) turned down the application because of the amount of changes necessary to qualify and the amount of money we would have gotten. I think they estimated is at maybe 150,000 to 200,000 compared to the 7 million dollar gap we have to fill this coming year.
It's not really worth the trouble of renegotiating contracts with the union while we are in the middle of financial distress.
Perhaps CA leaders are attempting to lead by example, not taking funds which the Federal government has no Constitutional right to distribute . . .
One of the main reasons Michigan lost out was union recalcitrance. The MEA did everything it could to deep-six Michigan's application and they succeeded. Of course that's trading a current victory against an erosion of future influence but if that's what you've got to do...
Max, as someone who argues in favor of the individual mandate for health insurance, you have *no* business telling me about what's constitutional or not!
Sure I do . . . I just take my lead from the Supremes, who apply it willy-nilly. Besides, I don't necessarily favor individual mandated health care . . .it just won't work unless you do that, or deny health care to those who can't pay.
Also, from a practical standpoint, mandated health care promotes lower costs; federa; funding of education promotes higher costs. If we're going to violate the 9th and 10th, we might as well benefit from it.
I don't see any semblance of logic there. In fact, it sounds suspiciously like "the ends justifying the means".
well . . .then why, instead of finding fault with the Democratic legislature for not obtaining federal funds for education, are you not praising them for refusing money that is constitutionally indefensible?
Where have I found fault with the legislature for not getting this RttT money?
Point taken . . .I read carelessly . . .but, you have "State education leaders are now deciding whether California should even bother to reapply," followed by your comment that "this is a Democratic administration (in italics) telling us this. Italics almost always imply a disapproving sneer, and I certainly inferred one.
The italics are for emphasis. My point was that a Democratic administration thinks the CTA is a stumbling block to the administration's own plans.
Is that clear enough?
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