In the immediate aftermath of learning that Florida was not selected as one of the recipients for "Race to the Top" education stimulus money today, the Florida Education Association laid some of the blame for that on the Florida Department of Education for shutting them out of the process to get the federal grant.
FEA President Andy Ford said today that the decision by Education Secretary Arne Duncan to select Delaware and Tennessee, and not Florida in the first round of distributing the $4.35 billion, is a result of a lack of cooperation between the state's biggest teacher's union and the dept. of education. In a press release sent out by the FEA today, Ford took a shot at Republican leaders as well:
“We appreciate the goals that President Obama is seeking for the nation.” Ford said. “By getting another chance to apply for the Race to the Top grant, it will give us another opportunity to turn those goals into reality for the students of Florida.”
Conversely, Florida Senate President Jeff Atwater has taken a sledgehammer approach to education reform as he and Florida Republican Party Chair John Thrasher, strong-arm a punitive and test-heavy education reform bill through the Legislature.
“The FEA is optimistic that the DOE will toss aside the hammer and have an open, honest conversation about the types of programs teachers have been telling us we need,” Ford said.
Florida was one of 16 finalists, and some education publications said the state was in good shape to collect the $1 billion plus they were hoping for that would be for programs to dramatically improve student outcomes.
There will be another chance for Florida in the fall.
This article appears in Mar 24-30, 2010.