Perry: Texas Won't Seek Federal Education Funding

AP ^ | Associated Press

[Dubya]

AUSTIN, Texas - Texas won't compete for up to $700 million in federal stimulus money for education because the program "smacks of a federal takeover of our public schools," Republican Gov. Rick Perry said Wednesday.

The funding is from the U.S. Department of Education's "Race to the Top" program, a $5 billion competitive fund that will award grants to states to improve education quality and results. The program, created in the economic stimulus law, is part of Democratic President Barack Obama's efforts to overhaul the nation's schools.

Perry has been critical of the federal stimulus program and the federal bailout of the nation's financial institutions. He previously turned down $555 million in federal stimulus money for the state's unemployment fund because it would have required Texas to expand its unemployment benefits.

However, the state did accept billions of dollars of federal stimulus money to help balance its two-year budget in 2009.

[Dubya]

The education program is pushing for a link between student test scores and teacher pay. Other reforms it is asking for include turning around the lowest-achieving schools and building data systems that measure student growth and success and inform teachers and principals about how they can improve instruction.

[Gaffer]

The operative thought in dealing with the government and acceptance of federal education dollars for ANY reason: you let these socialist perverts into your child's mind!!!!!

Game, set, match.....were it my decision I'd tell them to take that money and shove it up their ass.

[smokingfrog]

Can’t wait to see what Kay has to say...

[pissant]

Every state in the union should tell the feds to piss off

[Dark Wing]

Not taking Obama Administration education money, with long term strings attached, when the bill would come due before a gubernatorial election, is called smart politics.

[dusttoyou]

wait to see what Kay has to say...

“Can’t we all just get along?”

[mtrott]

I like it. We Texans do need to let the governor’s office know we support this position.

[mtrott]

Dang, even the Texas teachers unions support Perry’s position. I love this state.

[Brouhaha]

Hmmm... Gov. Perry is making me want to move to Texas.

[SunkenCiv]

That’s strange, Texas does have a history of panhandle. Oh wait...

[Wuli]

We should give Perry the ability to use his public pulpit to spearhead a plank in the GOP 2010 national campaign platform -

reduce federal taxes by 85% of the federal budget for K-12 education, and reduce the federal budget for K-12 education programs by the same amount,

encouraging and leaving the citizens of the states to decide how much of their commensurately lower federal taxes they, in their state, want to add to their state taxes, for K-12 education programs being reduced in the federal budget.

100% of the money comes from the villages, towns, counties and regions of the states to begin with. Let most of it stay there, and the people, with their resources left closer to their control, can decide themselves how to use it - and allot more wisely than can ANY federal officials in Washington D.C.

Republicans need to address the two reasons these programs reach the policy ambitions in Washington D.C. The first reason is direct ambition for centralized control in Washington D.C. That is based purely on ambition for power. The second is that the charge for the policy arrives from the state or states that have already drained the pocketbooks of their taxpayers and must sell the fiction that by getting the federal treasury to fund the project, their taxpayers are getting a gift from Washington D.C.

The truth is that that gift is totally political. The branch of the state’s political class working in the state gets to sell the fiction that they are “keeping taxes lower” by getting the “federal” program. The branch of the state’s political class in Washington D.C. gets to promote the fiction that they are doing something that only they and so called “federal” money can do - in spite of the fact that there really is no truly “federal” or “state” money - only money sucked out of the villages, towns, counties and regions the people work and live in.

[TADSLOS]

Every state in the union should tell the feds to piss off

Yep.

[tfbcowinafog]

Our school board district in southwest La. voted against it.

http://www.kplctv.com/Global/story.asp?S=11808462

[SaraJohnson]

Kay's response: I want my pork! More pork for Texas! We have a barbecue shortage out here!

[maxsand]

“smacks of a federal takeover of our public schools,” Republican Gov. Rick Perry said Wednesday.

“adios mofo” - Gov. Rick Perry

[latina4dubya]

government take over of public education? haven’t they already taken over? in any case, we might just have to move there some day...