History of IDEA
Jeannie Oakes, Founder and Former Director
Youth Voice in School Finance
NEW REPORT: Los Angeles' road to A-G for all
Without Dollars and Sense Powerpoint
Past Educational Opportunity Reports
Obama's school grants are side issue in California
- 12-08-2009
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By Dan Walters/Sacramento Bee
Ostensibly, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and state legislators are working to qualify California for a big chunk of the $4.35 billion that the Obama administration will hand out in grants to improve American public education. The "Race to the Top" money, however, is merely a side issue. At best, California might get $700 million in one-time funds, scarcely 1 percent of what the state spends on its 6 million public school students each year – merely a drop in the bucket. What's really happening this week, as the Assembly takes up a measure passed by the Senate and acts on its own version, is a new skirmish in a years-long war over education policy. Schwarzenegger is the most visible crusader for changing how schools operate. He and his allies want more charter schools free to set their own curricula, more parental choice in schools, and tougher performance standards for teachers and pupils alike. (more...)
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