Special Report
Education Funding

Foe of Race to Top Takes to New Pulpit

By Sean Cavanagh — November 30, 2010 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

Includes updates and/or revisions.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who once said that the federal Race to the Top competition would undermine “states’ authority to determine how their students are educated,” has a new platform: chairmanship of the Republican Governors Association.

Mr. Perry, who won re-election last month, is one of the most strident critics of federal economic-stimulus spending—even though his state has accepted billions of that aid.

Race to the Top, a $4.35 billion competitive state grant program, was funded through the stimulus. Gov. Perry refused to have Texas take part, saying the Obama administration was attempting to “bait states into adopting national standards,” a charge rejected by the program’s backers.

It’s unclear whether Mr. Perry’s governors’ association position—he replaces Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour—will stir GOP antagonism toward Race to the Top, or common state standards and assessments, which the program also supports. The competition prodded states nationwide to adopt policies that appeal to conservatives, on merit pay, charter schools, and other areas.

Eleven states, plus the District of Columbia, were named winners in the competition. Some, including Florida, Georgia, and Ohio, have elected new GOP governors; their states stand to receive multimillion-dollar awards if they uphold their plans—or lose that money, if they stray from them.

Mr. Perry’s federal feud extends to the Education Jobs Fund, an emergency measure approved by Congress this summer that provided $10 billion to help prevent layoffs. Texas has not been allowed to receive its $830 million share of aid because the law requires that states pledge to maintain K-12 funding. Gov. Perry is backing a lawsuit to secure Texas’ portion of the money.

Since he was named chairman Nov. 18, Mr. Perry has also taken issue with the federal policies of fellow Texan and former President George W. Bush, who signed into law the No Child Left Behind Act. That federal law set mandates for school and student performance.

I don’t agree that Washington, D.C., should be the epicenter of things like health care or education, he told Fox News, when asked about his criticism of Mr. Bush. I think it needs to be devolved back to the states.

A version of this article appeared in the December 01, 2010 edition of Education Week as Foe of Race to Top Takes to New Pulpit

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Artificial Intelligence Webinar
Teaching Students to Use Artificial Intelligence Ethically
Ready to embrace AI in your classroom? Join our master class to learn how to use AI as a tool for learning, not a replacement.
Content provided by Solution Tree
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Teaching Webinar
Empowering Students Using Computational Thinking Skills
Empower your students with computational thinking. Learn how to integrate these skills into your teaching and boost student engagement.
Content provided by Project Lead The Way
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
IT Infrastructure & Management Webinar
The Reality of Change: How Embracing and Planning for Change Can Shape Your Edtech Strategy
Promethean edtech experts delve into the reality of tech change and explore how embracing and planning for it can be your most powerful strategy for maximizing ROI.
Content provided by Promethean

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Education Funding Trump's Plans Would Disrupt Funding for Schools. What Would It Look Like?
School districts are bracing for a period of fiscal turbulence and whiplash that could strain their efforts to meet students’ complex needs.
12 min read
Image of a student desk sitting on top of a pile of books
Collage via iStock/Getty
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Education Funding Whitepaper
They Don’t Know What They Don’t Know
A new study suggests that policymakers have limited knowledge about the impact of teacher pension expenses on school district budgets...
Content provided by Equable
Education Funding Billions of Dollars for School Buildings Are on the Ballot This November
Several large districts and the state of California hope to capitalize on interest in the presidential election to pass big bonds.
6 min read
Pink Piggy Bank with a vote sticker on the back and a blurred Capitol building in the distance.
iStock/Getty
Education Funding Gun Violence Takes a Toll. We Need More Support, Principals Tell Congress
At a congressional roundtable, school leaders made an emotional appeal for more funds to help schools recover from gun violence.
5 min read
Principals from the Principals Recovery Network address lawmakers on the long-term effects of gun violence on Sept. 23, 2024, in Washington, D.C.
Principals address Democratic members of Congress on the long-term effects of gun violence on Sept. 23, 2024, in Washington, D.C.
Courtesy of Oversight Committee Democrats Press Office