Today, Governor Rick Perry announced that Texas will not submit an application for the federal Race to the Top (RTTT) education funds arguing Texas would be penalized by the U.S. Department of Education for refusing to commit to adopt national curriculum standards and tests and to incur ongoing costs.
We reprint a portion of the press release below:
“Texas is on the right path toward improved education, and we would be foolish and irresponsible to place our children’s future in the hands of unelected bureaucrats and special interest groups thousands of miles away in Washington, virtually eliminating parents’ participation in their children’s education,” Gov. Perry said. “If Washington were truly concerned about funding education with solutions that match local challenges, they would make the money available to states with no strings attached.”
Texas’ curriculum standards, which determine what students are taught in Texas classrooms, are set by the elected State Board of Education (SBOE). The SBOE recently adopted one of the nation’s first college- and career-ready curriculum standards in core subjects after receiving widespread input from Texas education and business leaders.
“I wholeheartedly support the governor’s decision,” Texas Education Commissioner Robert Scott said. “This one-time grant program would result in mandates for districts that would last for decades.”
Through Race to the Top funding, the U.S. Department of Education seems to be coercing states like Texas to suddenly abandon their own locally established curriculum standards in favor of adopting national standards spearheaded by organizations in Washington, D.C. While Texas could be eligible for up to $750 million in Race to the Top funding, it would cost Texas taxpayers upwards of $3 billion to realign our education system to conform to the U.S. Department of Education’s uniform vision for public education.
“Texas has been working to implement research-based education reforms for years, culminating with great solutions for Texas children, and we should qualify for Race to the Top funding based on what we have already accomplished,” Rep. Rob Eissler, Public Education Committee chairman, said. “Instead, Texas will be penalized in its Race to the Top application for not complying with the federal government’s concepts about what is best for the children of Texas. In short, the two things I worry about in education are fads and feds, and this combines both.”
Developing Texas’ workforce is imperative to maintaining our position as a national leader in job creation and our future prosperity. Texas was recently praised in Education Week magazine for its adoption of college- and career-ready standards, and for holding schools accountable for ensuring students are college-ready. Additionally, the governor recently announced a $160 million initiative to expand the number and scope of Texas Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (T-STEM) academies, an initiative he established in 2005, as well as fund STEM scholarships. Building on successful initiatives like T-STEM academies helps ensure future generations of Texans have the educational foundation necessary to compete and excel in the increasingly competitive global economy.
For a copy of the letter Perry sent to Secretary Duncan, please visit: http://governor.state.tx.us/files/press-office/O-DuncanArne201001130344.pdf
This decision by Governor Perry was not a surprise to education observers who have been following the RTTT circumstances. Texas has not participated in the common curriculum standards project and, as a result, the state’s application would lose points by not participating. Additionally, state policy on charter schools may have cost Texas additional points in the competitive process.
Support for Governor Perry’s decision was immediately expressed by several legislators including House Public Education Committee Chair Rob Eissler (R-The Woodlands) and Senator Dan Patrick (R-Houston), the Vice-chair of the Senate Education Committee. Gayle Fallon, the President of the Houston Federation of Teachers and Linda Bridges, the Texas AFT President, offered support for the decision as did Jerri Stone, the Executive Director of the Texas Classroom Teachers Association. Several prominent superintendents made public statements in support of the move, including Boerne ISD’s John Kelly who expressed his concerns about the federal government’s continued intrusion into virtually every area of local school districts in a San Antonio area newspaper. His complete comments may be found at http://www.mysanantonio.com/community/northwest/81271427.html.