U.S. officials to release video of N.J. Race to the Top presentation
Published: Thursday, August 26, 2010, 5:57 PM Updated: Thursday, August 26, 2010, 5:57 PM
A video screen grab from New Jersey's interview during the Race to the Top process where the state was hoping to get $400 million. In this clip the panel has just asked for the 2008-09 budget numbers and no one on the panel is able to provide the information. Pictured from left to right are Executive Assistant of Innovation and Change at Newark Public Schools Daniel Gohl, Assistant Commissioner Rochelle Hendricks, Commissioner Bret Schundler, Assistant Commissioner Willa Spicer, and Deputy Commissioner Andrew Smarick.TRENTON — The U.S. Department of Education plans to release video today of New Jersey’s Race to the Top presentation earlier this month in Washington, D.C., said Caley Gray, spokesman for U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg.
This is the presentation during which the Christie administration says it learned of a key error that cost the state critical points in the competitive grant process.
Gov. Chris Christie said Wednesday the state tried to fix the error in the interview – attended by state Education Commissioner Bret Schundler and four others – but the reviewers would not accept the fix after the June 1 deadline.
“When we went in for the personal interview, two weeks before the decision was made they raised the issue with us,” Christie said Wednesday during a press conference. “Commissioner Schundler gave them, in the interview, the numbers for ’08 – ’09 because the