"The state Assembly and Senate are actively negotiating legislation so California can compete for, and win, our share of $4.3 billion in federal Race to the Top funds. More important, we are developing comprehensive, long-term education reforms.
Critics of our effort would do well to see the eventual compromise before racing to conclusions. One premature critic, Margaret Fortune, an appointee of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, wrote a Mercury News op-ed (Opinion, Dec. 16) that mischaracterized issues surrounding the Race to the Top debate and wrongly asserted minority children would be harmed by Assembly proposals. That article ignored the process and the progress of the negotiations, and simply propped up a bill the governor wants that was written before the Race to the Top rules were developed and which would hobble us in the competition."