"In mid-January, Missouri applied for nearly $750 million of the U.S. Department of Education's $4.35 billion 'Race to the Top' program.
The competitive grant program, which President Barack Obama and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan announced on July 30, aims to bolster states that are seeking education reform initiatives that improve student achievement.
While there is no question that Missouri Commissioner of Education, Chris Nicastro, and her staff worked hard to complete the application since announcing their intention to seek such funding, that application can only be described as incomplete without a push for expanding charter schools in Missouri.
Currently, Missouri has a geographical cap on charters that only allows them to operate in and accept students from the St. Louis and Kansas City public school districts. This policy is in direct conflict with Secretary Duncan's strong statement last June that 'states that do not have public charter laws or put artificial caps on the growth of charter schools will jeopardize their applications under the Race to the Top fund.'"
While there is no question that Missouri Commissioner of Education, Chris Nicastro, and her staff worked hard to complete the application since announcing their intention to seek such funding, that application can only be described as incomplete without a push for expanding charter schools in Missouri.
Currently, Missouri has a geographical cap on charters that only allows them to operate in and accept students from the St. Louis and Kansas City public school districts. This policy is in direct conflict with Secretary Duncan's strong statement last June that 'states that do not have public charter laws or put artificial caps on the growth of charter schools will jeopardize their applications under the Race to the Top fund.'"