When American’s go to the polls on Election Day (November 2nd) they will elect 435 members of the House of Representatives, 36 Senators, and 37 Governors. Interestingly, 10 of the 12 states that won Race to the Top (RTTT) funding will host gubernatorial elections, establishing a scenario whereby a switch in political parties and leadership may mean a shift in education reform philosophy and could, potentially impact implementation of approved Race to the Top grants.
Educators and policy wonks will be closely watching gubernatorial elections in Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, Ohio, Rhode Island, Tennessee, and the mayoral race in the District of Columbia to anticipate what the political impact will be on these states which won the $4 billion RTTT program funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, better known as the economic stimulus package. The two additional states which won RTTT funding but do not have gubernatorial races this year are Delaware and North Carolina.
Anticipating the upcoming elections, and the potential political impact, some states took precautions during the application process. Such was the case in Tennessee where Governor Phil Bredesen, who is term limited and is completing his last year in office, received a commitment from seven gubernatorial candidates to carry out the goals of the state’s $500 million RTTT winning grant proposal.
CEC’s Policy Insider blog will be monitoring and reporting on any changes to RTTT implementation prompted by the 2010 elections. Stay tuned!