Idaho and 24 others states didn’t make the cut during the first round of the U.S. Department of Education’s “Race to the Top” competition, which will deliver $4.35 billion in school reform grants.
The 16 finalists named Thursday include Colorado, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina and Tennessee. The winners will be chosen in April, and a second round of applications accepted in June.
Idaho sought $120 million for public schools, which face unprecedented cuts in the coming year.
State lawmakers on Wednesday agreed on a budget that gives schools $128 million less in 2011, saying this is the first year in Idaho history that total public education funding has been cut. (AP)
