The following excerpts are from a Jan. 9 press release sent by Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives and the response the same day by Ted Stilwill, the director of the Iowa Department of Education.
To: Iowa Media | To: U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige | |
“As of Jan. 6, 2004, the state of Iowa has failed to use more than $39 million in federal education funds designated for Iowa schools and students, some of which have been sitting unused for as long as three and a half years.” | “The implication that we have let huge sums of federal money languish-that the funds are at our disposal to use at our discretion, or that we have not been good stewards of the public’s money-is inaccurate and unfair.” |