Officials weigh entering Race to the Top early childhood education contest
JIM MYERS World Washington Bureau 8/24/2011 Tulsa World
From Oklahoma, both Gov. Mary Fallin and state Superintendent Janet Barresi expressed concern that the competition could leave the state in a financial bind once federal funds ran out.
“As a leader in early childhood education, Oklahoma has created its own path independent of the federal government,” she said. “As a result of that work, the state has received national recognition in the field of early childhood education. That work should continue.”
“We will be working with Gov. Fallin to review the nearly 120-page application released today to determine whether any entry into the contest could potentially burden Oklahoma taxpayers in future years or unnecessarily commit the state to top-down directives from the federal government,” she said.