Attempting to allay tea party concerns about seeking federal Race to the Top education funds, Gov. Rick Scott on Wednesday said Florida's application does not "unduly burden state taxpayers [or] commit state dollars to federal unfunded mandates."
Seeking a $100 million award from the U.S. Department of Education, Florida is one of four states eligible for an Early Learning Challenge grant.
The funds would focus on serving high-risk children in partnership with businesses. The voluntary program would provide child care providers with access to mini-grants to build capacity for delivering services to high-risk youngsters.
Early Learning Coalitions would administer the program at the local level and the state Office of Early Learning would monitor progress "to ensure positive results for children and support to small businesses," the state said.
Crucially, officials said, "If the grant package comes back from the federal government with new required regulation or constraints with how Florida spends the money, we will not accept it.
"The grant application does not impose additional regulations on businesses, but will hold providers and Early Learning Coalitions accountable for spending grant dollars wisely," officials added.
Furthermore, they said, "There will be no commitment to additional state resources currently or in the future."
The Tea Party Network, a coalition of 70 tea groups statewide, had called on Scott to abandon efforts to pursue Race to the Top funding from Washington.
TPN Chairwoman Patricia Sullivan, in a written plea to the governor, expressed constitutional concerns about the state participating in the Race to the Top program.
This grant not only costs Florida taxpayers more in the long term, it will remove quality control from the legislative process, and it goes against the Florida state Constitution, she stated.
Scott, in a statement issued Wednesday afternoon, defended the state's bid for federal funds and said fiscal safeguards were included in the application.
Floridas decision to compete in the Race to the Top Early Learning Challenge is anchored on the bedrock conservative principles of smaller government and local solutions.This application will target at-risk children by offering support and training to existing private-sector providers through block grants at the state level, not by creating new government programs," Scott stated.
The grant application designed by the Office of Early Leaning is the product of extensive consultation with private providers to find creative solutions that address a true need of those Florida children that have fallen through the cracks.The key condition for Floridas participation in the Race to the Top program is our commitment to ensuring that no federal strings are attached to any grants awarded and that no new burdensome regulations will be placed on private providers.
The Office of Early Learning, together with my own staff, worked hard to structure a Race to the Top application that requires no additional state spending obligations -- current or future --no requirements for future legislative action, and no new government programs that unduly burden state taxpayers and commit state dollars to federal unfunded mandates."
Scott's letter concluded:
To be clear, Florida will only accept these grant dollars if the award comes back with no strings attached. Additionally, if during the process of implementing this grant, the state finds unexpected new regulations being placed on private businesses, I pledge that Florida will not move forward with implementation."
Scott said groups receiving grants "will be asked to acknowledge that the funds are temporary and are not intended to build programs that will require additional state spending when the grant dollars are gone."
Sullivan remained skeptical.
"I do not see how accepting federal grants, money we are currently borrowing, is the bedrock of conservatism," she said.
Furthermore, the Tea Party Network leader said the group's education team saw "a complete disconnect" between the governors press release on Wednesday and the final draft of the grant proposal that was released to the public on Oct. 14.
"We do not see how putting a statewide rating system in place can be voluntary if the private providers want to stay in business," Sullivan said. "In the state of Florida, if private providers want to continue partnering with the state under the Constitution, they will be forced to come under the new regulations of the rating system."
Private providers account for roughly 85 percent of voluntary Pre-K services in Florida.
Sullivan asserted that the new program would necessarily "drive up the cost of child-care and Pre-K, forcing many private establishments to close, thus reducing availability for all Florida families."
"We hope we are wrong," Sullivan said, but added,"We are counting on the governor to keep his pledge that if implementing this grant creates new regulations on private businesses, then hewill not accept the grant."
The Tea Party Network argues that "for states to regain control of education and bring it back to the local level, they must stop taking federal money and the strings that come with the money.
Speaking on background, a source knowledgeable about the situation speculated that Florida may have effectively disqualified itself from federal consideration because of the specific conditions the state attached.
Here in Florida, the state Office of Early Learning said Wednesday that it had garnered "wide-ranging support" for the grant proposal, listing as partners:
Publix, Walt Disney World, Fifth Third Bank, Northern Trust, Royal Caribbean Cruises, Baptist Health, Bank of America, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida, as well as Floridas Association for the Education of Young Children, Florida Family Child Care Home Association and the Redlands Christian Migrant Association.
State Senate President Mike Haridopolos applauded the governor's decision to push the RTT application forward on terms favorable to Florida.
Governor Scott has taken a conservative approach to pursuing this grant by putting measures in place that will instill valuable resources into Floridas existing early learning system, while at the same time streamlining the process and ensuring that our states businesses do not face additional regulation," Haridopolos, R-Merritt Island, said in a statement.
Contact Kenric Ward at kward@sunshinestatenews.com or at (772) 801-5341.
