Kendrick Meek and Franklin Sands Weigh In on Race to the Top Funds

Normally, Floridas successful Race to the Top application to receive extra federal education funds would have the politicians crawling out of the woodwork to comment on the matter but, with primary elections on Tuesday, few have emerged to talk about it.

One who did was House Democratic Leader Franklin Sands of Weston who did not have a primary opponent. While Sandspraised the Obama administration, he took a subtle shot at Florida Republicans who backed SB 6 earlier in the year -- a measure to reform teacher performance pay. Sands and other Democrats argued that in shaping the bill, which was vetoed by Gov. Charlie Crist, the Republican majorities in both the House and the Senate, ignored stakeholders -- namely teachers.

It is wonderful news that President Obama and U.S. Department of Education Secretary Arne Duncan have recognized Floridas need for education reform by approving our Race to the Top application, said Sands. By bringing together support from superintendents, school board members, teachers and their professional associations, Floridas education team has succeeded in clearly communicating why Florida is deserving of these additional federal funds.

By working collaboratively, all of Florida wins, especially tomorrows leaders who are attending and will attend our public schools, said Sands. Todays Race to the Top announcement shows how successful Florida can be when education reforms are molded by all stakeholders rather than by a few.

Right after Sands commented, U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek, who has a high-stakes primary battle on Tuesday for the Democratic nomination in the U.S. Senate race, weighed in.

"Race to the Top is a pioneering program to award innovation and high-performance in our schools, and Florida deserves this critical funding to make a difference for our children, said Meek. I congratulate Florida's education community for coming together to put our children on a path to success and meet the challenges of the 21st century.