StickWithANose

Flush with success in utilizing an economic disaster to ram through corporatist education policies, Pres. Obama announced today that he intends to make his ‘Race to the Top’ nightmare a permanent feature of the Department of Education by requesting an additional $1.34 billion in funding for continuing the program.

President Barack Obama will seek $1.35 billion in next year’s budget to expand the Race to the Top competition, paving the way for the popular economic-stimulus grant program to become a permanent part of the administration’s education arsenal.

In its fiscal 2011 budget request, the Obama administration also will spell out that it wants to open up Race to the Top—which is now a competition among states—to school districts as well. Districts would have their own grant contest and would not have to compete against states, according to senior administration officials…

The competition has sparked a flurry of legislative activity in states trying to position themselves for a slice of $4 billion in one-time grants under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, passed by Congress in February.

In his remarks today, Mr. Obama said the $1.35 billion “will not only reaffirm our commitment to states engaged in serious reform, it will also expand the Race to the Top competition to include local school districts that are also committed to change.”

Write your congress critters and help put a stop to this non-sense while there is still a chance to have an impact.