Education commissioner wants NY to win “Race to the Top”
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- May
- 4
  In a speech at the Rockefeller Institute of Government today, outgoing state Education Commissioner Richard Mills the change in the foundation aid formula for schools two years ago was “probably the most powerful policy decision that was made in the last decade.” Foundation aid is the largest state grant to school districts, and it was reworked to more effectively target poor districts.
  In the current budget, however, school funding is flat, which is not what the Education Department recommended. Lawmakers and the governor, who struggled with a nearly $18 billion budget deficit, put on hold a four-year plan to increase education funding by $7 billion. Instead, they will phase it in over seven years. Federal economic-stimulus money was used to prevent cuts.
  “The federal funds won’t be there two years from now,” said Mills, who is retiring in June after 14 years as the state’s education leader.
   Mills said he wants New York to be one of the states that receives money from federal Education Secretary Arne Duncan’s $5 billion ”Race to the Top” program. Mills said only a dozen or so high-performing states will get some of the grants, and he is confident New York will “run and win” the race.
  “I think that money has New York’s name written all over it,” Mills said.
  Getting in the program will require a commitment to state-led national standards in English and math, the commissioner said. New York led the nation in creating high academic standards, which are now a requirement of the federal No Child Left Behind Act. New York is interested in partnering with other high-performing states that have had similar success in closing achievement gaps between wealthy and poor districts. Mills said he and Board of Regents Chancellor Merryl Tisch have been talking with a few of the strongest states.
  Test scores and graduation rates are on the rise in New York, but there’s still a lot of work left to be done, said Mills, an educator for more than 40 years.
  The Rockefeller Center is part of the State University of New York.
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on Monday, May 4th, 2009 at 2:30 pm by Cara Matthews.
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Mills is finally correct on one point. The “money has New York’s name written all over it.” IN GOD WE TRUST should be NY State’s motto, followed by HEAVEN HELP US (because the governor, legislature, and the Bd of Ed have surely proven that they certainly can’t.) This bloviating, soon to be ex- Commissioner has spent forty years stumbling around, and in his final decade, pouring billion after billion down the toilet of big, fruitless ideas and no production. I wish him enjoyment cashing our checks and playing shuffleboard in Florida, where he will happily enjoy paying no state tax.