"Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today issued the statement below after Assemblymember Julia Brownley (D-Santa Monica) introduced ABX5 8, legislation regarding President Obama’s national Race to the Top education reform and funding competition. State applications for securing a portion of the $4.35 billion education funding available nationally are due to the federal government by January 19, 2010. If highly competitive, California can secure up to $700 million in federal Race to the Top funding for California’s schools.
“It has now been 16 weeks since I called a special session of the legislature to ensure California meets the Race to the Top competitiveness requirements outlined by President Obama, and we are running out of time. While ABX5 8 attempts to meet these competitiveness requirements, it doesn't completely embrace the reform culture that President Obama has charged states to adopt. With the bill as it stands, the Assembly risks losing hundreds of millions of dollars for California’s school children."
“In order to ensure California meets federal guidelines and is highly competitive for funding, this bill would need to include stronger parental rights, including the right for parents to be empowered to require school boards to reform underperforming schools and the right to enroll their child in the school of their choice. In addition, the federal guidelines clearly call for California to allow charter schools to grow and thrive – and for this reason I urge the Assembly to reconsider the overly restrictive charter school language included in the bill.
“Working together we can make positive reform in our state’s education system and secure hundreds of millions of dollars for our schools. We owe the students of California no less.”
On July 24, 2009, President Obama and U.S. Department of Education Secretary Arne Duncan announced federal eligibility and competitiveness requirements for states to compete for $4.35 billion in Race to the Top funding, the single largest pool of discretionary funding for education reform in U.S. history. These eligibility and competitiveness requirements were finalized by the federal government in November.
Building on his commitment to ensure California gets every possible dollar from President Obama’s federal economic stimulus package during this economic downturn, in August the Governor called a special session of the legislature and announced a legislative package to ensure California is eligible and highly competitive for this federal funding for California’s schools. This bill was introduced as SBX5 1 by Senator Gloria Romero (D-Los Angeles), Senator Bob Huff (R-Diamond Bar), Senator Elaine Alquist (D-San Jose) and Senator Mark Wyland (R-Carlsbad) and was passed by the California Senate on November 4, 2009.
