Connecticut “loses” again – Race to the Top education grants
When the federal government is handing out funding for programs they never should be funding, there will be winners and there will be losers. Connecticut’s application for $50 million in Department of Education funding was denied again; some other state(s) will be the winners.
I can’t help but wonder if Connecticut’s status as a “true blue” state with a Democrat governor, legislature and a voting population who will almost certainly vote overwhelmingly for President Obama in 2012 has anything to do with it.
What, you think politics had nothing to do with the pure-as-white-driven-show grant process in Washington? From the Hartford Courant.
For the third time, Connecticut has lost its bid for a federal Race to the Top grant — this one to improve educational programs for very young children.
Connecticut had applied to the U.S. Department of Education program for $49.9 million.
Word came late Thursday afternoon that Connecticut was out of the running.
Gov. Dannel Malloy (D) still thinks more money is the solution to the education problem. <rolling eyes> He notes…
“We were aware going in that we were at a disadvantage — a lack of investment over the past decade meant that we did not have the infrastructure in place, or have a well-developed or coordinated early learning system. That will change. This federal funding would have accelerated our efforts, but we are determined to move forward to improve early learning in Connecticut.”
So the Department of Education thought we did not spend enough money on education during the past few years, so therefore we did not deserve the federal funding.
What kind of parallel universe are we living in here? Does this mean if we spend even more of the money we do not have, the federal government will steal it from other states and give us money – that by the way – they don’t have?
Look, this culture of local Boards of Education begging for money from state Departments of Education, and state Departments of Education begging for money from the federal Department of Education must stop. Do you realize the amount of time and resources that are wasted as local boards and other government-types chit-chat, fill out applications and do important “research” on the education boondoggle? I have not looked, but I’m willing to bet you can get a college degree and probably even a Masters in Writing Federal Grant Requests. I’m certain it has become a valuable skill set … knowing how to beg for cash from other government agencies.
This is the disease. Everything else are just symptoms. Join with me to call for GOP candidates to outright CLOSE DOWN the federal Department of Education. That would be a simple step in the right direction. It’s no surprise that the online education phenomena is growing at its rate. People can now get business administration and management majors online, at home on their schedule. This allows for multi-tasking and having a job. It’s clear to see why it’s so popular to do so.
In other related news, notice how the University of Connecticut is suggesting a 6 percent tuition increase every year for the next four years? Hasn’t President Obama been suggesting a student loan forgiveness program?
Gee, ya think the two might be related? And why isn’t the Obama administration targeting colleges with skyrocketing tuition costs during the last two decades?
Never mind…
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Total sense….. by the way, did you know that most CT high school teams have new artifiical?turf fields at a cost of?around $800,000 per field?….. no $ for books…… or for “educators”…….. more taxes please!!
Steve of course you are right, close down Federal Department of Education. However, I am truly frightened by what I read when I googled this subject. Thank Goodness for Senator Rubio. He wrote a letter to Sec. of Education saying in essence, it is wrong for the Feds to issue a waiver for NCLB only if they adopt a “federal college and career ready” curriculum.” I don’t know about you, but I sure don’t think a curriculum coming from this administration would be anything other than the Socialist Manifesto.
http://www.educationnews.org/education-policy-and-politics/rubio-to-duncan-administration-cant-force-states-to-comply/
I seem to remember during the Obamacare bribes 100 million earmarked for the UConn Medical Center but after passage it went to Ohio State University. ?
Not only is the time and manpower consumed a waste, but they don’t have a clue what to do with the money even if they got it.? If they did, they probably would get it, or better, wouldn’t need it.
Oh they’d just hire a few more school administrators.
Give the money back to taxpayers and stop trying to find ways to spend it!! Grants of this type should not be allowed period. What’s it got to do with interstate commerce or than buying of political favors.
Have they devoted any research on the effectiveness of home schooling and why so many more families embrace home schooling?
There are 195 public school districts in CT, a state which is 60×120 miles or so. Each one knows better how to educate their students. Are you kidding? No wonder they can’t get coherent programs together.
From what I have seen personally, it is the “coherent programs” that seem to be turning out kids that can’t think their way out of wet paper bag.
Um let’s look at this from Obama’s viewpoint.
Yes Governor Malloy, you are a blue state from top to bottom… good dog!
Yes Governor Malloy, you got slightly tough with your union state employees (wink, wink)…good dog/bad dog
Yes Governor Malloy, you wanted to defund the technical training schools in your state…VERY BAD DOG!
WHERE DO YOU THINK THOSE FUTURE UNION DUES AND VOTES ARE GOING TO COME FROM?!? ?
VERY VERY BAD DOG!?
I agree that this funding is used to buy votes in states that might swing left, and that Malloy has been a very bad dog! ? So sad, we could have used that education funding to build a bus way from New Britain to Bristol :(…
I thank the Lord every time that don’t get money-look what they do with it when they do.
Too bad the Gov gave so much money to build a new building for research…? Another Solyndra moment in the making, I’ll bet.
CT uses a formula to distribute funds among the towns:? They consider what you pay in taxes towards education, what? they think you can afford to pay in taxes towards education and they use that formula to tell you what you’ll get in state reimbursement.? So towns which spend more, get more.? Towns who do bare bones budgets, get bones back.?
Oh, well.?
Grants are a false path to pursue. The DOE is part of the problem and has to be abolished — along with many other Departments, etc. As well intentioned as may be, all of the various money “awarding” arms of the government are merely vote-buying schemes for the Democrats
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Property taxes will skyrocket if the the Dept. of Ed were to be abolished (as several commentators seem to advocate). You ready to take that on??
That is interesting.? Most of the criticism of the abolition of the DOE comes from the loss of grants/loans to students (the same ones the OWS protesters are determined not to pay, btw).? Of course, the other side of the coin is that the relative ease of procuring money for school loans has fostered increases in tuition far above the cost of living or inflation since Carter created it in the seventies.? It is essentially a money transfer situation to colleges and universities, with the student being a go between.? Spending per pupil due to the DOE has shot up, but, at best, student performance is the same as before the DOE existed.? So what do we get for our money?
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Most of the property taxes we pay go to K-12 now, and when something needs to be fixed/updated, they come to us for the money.? Not the DOE that I have noticed.? I welcome information to the contrary.
Education in CT? in NOT K – 12 but K – A!? We have a great adult education system going.? We provide high school completion (GED, Credit Diploma & Nat. Education. Diploma Program, {NEDP}), English as a Second Language , Adult Basic Education and American Citizenship. Adult ed is way ahead of K – 12 in teaching strategies, planning, etc.? In matter of fact, Adult Ed may begin a trend which later becomes adopted by K – 12.? Students come to us because something in their lives made them make the decision to drop out.? Life got in the way.? Also, many towns also offer Enrichment courses at a reasonable cost.? We’re the best deal in education anywhere.? Check it out.
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Didn’t get the grant money, so lets raise tuition at UCONN. Need to hire more professors and get them in the union and on the CT taxpayers back for retirement. Also it will reduce class size. Just raising tuition would have done the same w/o hiring more state employees.