Virginia is out of the money in Obama’s ‘Race to the Top’ for school funds
Virginia found itself among the losers Thursday when the U.S. Department of Education announced the 15 finalists for President Obama’s $4.35 billion “Race to the Top” program to promote public school reform.
The winners included the District of Columbia–not normally considered a paragon of public school quality and education reform–and 14 states. Former Democratic Gov. Tim Kaine of Virginia had applied for the competitive program last January, seeking $350 million to push education improvement and reform in the Commonwealth.
Virginia was one of 40 states and the District of Columbia to apply for the first round of grants. There will be a second round of applications in June, so Virginia will have a chance to try again.
Besides D.C., the finalists named Thursday are: Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina and Tennessee. Officials from the 15 finalists will be interviewed and the winners will be announced in April.