A new law aimed at saving millions of teaching jobs and protecting school programs across the country may not accomplish either goal here in Rhode Island.

Instead, Governor Carcieri intends to use the $32.9 million Rhode Island is eligible to receive to plug an estimated $38-million deficit in this year’s budget.

Now, let me be clear: I don’t necessarily see this same sort of scenario happening in Colorado. But how many other states will use the federal printing presses and the public sympathies “for the children” to take some of the education jobs money in order to cover general shortages in their budgets?

Because we still don’t know the extent of how many teacher and other school employee positions actually have been cut, much less how many of those cuts are needful corrections of past hiring binges as opposed to serious shortages. Somehow, I have a very difficult time believing there are $10 billion worth of the latter. And Rhode Island is just doing what it can… with your federal tax dollars.

Why? Because some of the fuel behind getting the State Board to adopt the interstate educational compact was the value it would add to the state’s RTTT application — despite objections laid out by state senator Keith King (R-Colorado Springs) and others. Word on the street is that some local school officials have been raising the specter of repeal, feeding on the RTTT loss to add momentum to their cause.

In a new blog post, the State Board’s Marcia Neal (R-Grand Junction) reasserted her deep skepticism toward federal involvement in education and what she sees as a course of action leading Colorado down a path toward greater national dictates on our schools:

We’re told Washington doesn’t understand local control. Might I provide an example School districts and personnel, as well as the public, have been very involved in the development of Colorado standards, adopted by the SBE in May, 2010. Following adoption of the Common Core (by 4-3 vote), anxious to move forward, they asked us what they should do next. The answer…nothing, “wait until we find out.” Is that not indicative of the future?

One thing the R2T announcement made clear, Colorado is one of the leaders in educational reform. Others are woefully unprepared. Are we to wait for them or are they to make a gigantic leap forward? We already work and collaborate with other high achieving states like Massachusetts, Indiana and others.

Given the current state of events, two of the State Board members who voted to adopt Common Core — Republican Randy DeHoff and Democrat Elaine Gantz-Berman — penned the column “Standards a must for schools” for Sunday’s Denver Post, seeking to allay fears:

The only role the federal government has played in encouraging states to adopt the Common Core was to tie it to points earned in the Race to the Top grant application. Although Colorado is disappointed that we did not earn a Race to the Top grant, we firmly believe adopting the Common Core was the right step….

There is healthy skepticism that adopting the standards will lead to too much federal intrusion in our classrooms. But standards don’t tell us what to teach or how to teach it. Rather, they describe at what level students must grasp the depth and complexity of subjects at each grade level.

Those seriously interested in rolling back or repealing Colorado’s adoption of the Common Core standards would have to change the mind of one of the four original Yes votes to be successful. That doesn’t look like it’s going to happen.

What about in 2011? At least two new members will join the Board: It looks like they will be Republicans Paul Lundeen and Deb Scheffel. Lundeen has sent an open letter to the State Board declaring his opposition to Common Core. Scheffel — who also has a Democratic opponent William Townend running in her overwhelmingly Republican district — most likely will fill Randy DeHoff’s seat. Where she stands on the issue might foretell the fate of the movement to see Colorado “unadopt” Common Core.

But since I can’t get my mind off being aghast that Colorado missed out on its chance at $175 million, you just really need to check out some of these reactions. First, a trifecta from our friends over at EdNews Colorado:

1. Alexander Ooms reminds us not to overreact, that outcomes are important and we can effect positive change without the $175 million
2. Robert Reichardt points out that Colorado and other Western states can’t win until we effectively explain how local control really works
3. Ben DeGrow from our own Education Policy Center notes how Colorado’s RTTT loss could open the door for the unions’ “politics of blocking”

Put together, a wide range of observations on the Race to the Top results raises plenty of questions, and ultimately casts doubt on the value of the program:

• The Eduwonk Andy Rotherham highlights some of the problems with the grant-review process and suggests Secretary Arne Duncan convene a commission to improve the process for future versions of RTTT (or other large-scale federal education grant programs)
• Rick Hess feels sorry for Duncan for all the messes created, including having “to tell strong-willed reform leaders like Colorado state senator Mike Johnston and state chief Dwight Jones….’Sorry about that, but go check out Hawaii’s reform agenda.’”
• Mike Petrilli points out that when reviewers updated their scores, mediocre Ohio somehow passed up reform mecca Louisiana: “Ohio’s surge allowed Ted Strickland to edge out both Bobby Jindal and Chris Christie–and the White House can’t be too upset about that.”
• In a similar vein, Harvard’s Paul Peterson says the process is suspect, bringing attention to the fact that 9 of the 10 winners were Blue States (Democrat-leaning) and concluding that “RttT is as much or more a partisan boondoggle as an education reform strategy.”

All that being said, if Colorado still feels bad about losing out, at least we’re not New Jersey — where a bureaucratic mistake on the application form cost the state $400 million in federal education funds. Talk about a political hot potato….

At my age, I figured I knew pretty well how the world works. I told you that Colorado’s green light from the National Council on Teacher Quality made them practically a sure thing to win a share of Race to the Top round two federal dollars. Was I wrong or what? Instead of Colorado becoming one of the 10 winners, our state finished 17th out of 19! Let me tell you what: I can’t wait to see the explanation for this one. It’s not just me. Education policy guru Rick Hess says it’s ludicrous that Colorado and Louisiana were “left out in the cold.”

Curious themselves, my Education Policy Center friends asked some Colorado State Board of Education members for their reactions to the surprising news.

“It’s a shame funds purloined from Colorado taxpayers will now head to other states, in greater quantities, for the education of other people’s children,” said State Board chair Bob Schaffer, R-Fort Collins. “Nonetheless, accepting cash from the federal bureaucracy always comes at a competing price. In this case, the attached strings and red tape are considerable. In the end, the opinions of Washington, D.C.’s government workers are not what matters most when it comes to the quality and direction of Colorado’s schools.”

Another board member chimed in with her initial reaction. “It was a disappointment as, without those funds, Colorado will be hard pressed to complete reform plans associated with SB 212 (CAP4K) under the present time line,” said Marcia Neal, R-Grand Junction. The state’s hopes to fully implement the new academic standards and adopt new assessments is a lot less likely to take place in the next couple years.

Neal noted the possibility that we might see an effort to slow down or roll back Senate Bill 191 — the tenure and evaluation reform legislation that passed with bipartisan support and with many believing it would put Colorado on the inside track to win RTTT. She also mentioned that she has “received significant communications from various school leaders asking me if the decision to sign on to the Common Core standards might be reversed if we don’t secure the award.”

“If we are to remain a great nation we absolutely must produce students that are prepared for the technological future that they will inhabit,” Neal concluded. “There is a lot of great work going on at [the Colorado Department of Education] and we must be sure we continue on that path.” [Links added]

Chairman Schaffer also ended on a hopeful note. “Our goal will continue to be toward the establishment of world-class schools — moving toward more academic choices and options for parents to select for their own kids, moving toward internationally competitive academic standards and moving toward treating teachers like real professionals rather than union workers,” he said. “I think, in the long run, the independence of states to innovate will be more valuable than the short-term infusion of federal cash that comes at a price of mediocrity and servitude.”

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State Board member Randy DeHoff brought attention to a key fact that begins to explain why Colorado lost out today: “…what was immediately obvious is that two of the five [RTTT grant] reviewers don’t understand local control. It also appears they scored us significantly lower because we did not have teacher union support for our application. Those two reviewers gave us an average of 350 out of 500 points. The other three reviewers gave us an average of 450 points, which would have placed us among the winners. Obviously there was a problem with the way the applications were scored – a problem that was pointed out after the first round but was not changed.”

DeHoff concluded, “I believe the reform agenda we are on is the right agenda. We had adopted these reforms before Race to the Top, and we will continue pursuing these reforms with or without [it]. Without those extra resources, it will obviously take longer to do some things (but not everything), but that doesn’t mean we should stop trying to do them.”

While certainly some of the new schools I’ve highlighted will be eligible for funding, there’s another new school featured today in the Fort Collins Coloradoan:

Wednesday was the first day of classes for approximately 200 students at Liberty Common High, 2745 Minnesota Drive. The high school is an extension of Liberty Common School, a tuition-free charter school contracted through the Poudre School District.

For now, seventh- through 10th-grade students inhabit the building, a 27,000-square-foot facility with 14 classrooms, a library and a large space being used as the gym, auditorium and lunchroom, said Bob Schaffer, director of secondary schools for Liberty Common. The building, which formerly housed a now-defunct charter school, underwent some minor renovations during the summer to get it ready for students this fall, Schaffer said.

Liberty Common School will expand into a K-12 school by the fall of 2012, Schaffer said. Students in kindergarten through sixth grade will continue to attend classes at the other Liberty Common facility, 1725 Sharp Point Dr.

Yes, THAT Bob Schaffer — current chairman of the State Board of Education, among many other things.

I don’t know who wrote it, but you really have to read the news from Liberty Common High School. Entertaining, informative, encouraging, optimistic, compelling… all in one! On the surface at least, this looks like a successful school in the making (following in the tradition of Liberty Common K-8). Can’t wait to see the results!

• Reason’s Nick Gillespie quotes the op-ed, observing that Congress is “hot for teachers’ votes (by giving away our money)”
• National Review Colorado reporter Michael Sandoval links back to Ben’s piece with a note that Congresswoman Betsy Markey voted for the Edujobs bill while saying she’s opposed to bailouts
• Writing at Education News Colorado, local teacher Mark Sass takes exception to Ben’s piece with “a view from the ground” (and Ben already has responded with a comment)
• Marc Kilmer from the Maryland Policy Institute — who is rumored to have known Ben in a past life — cites the op-ed and points out that the small amount of teacher layoffs don’t amount to the tragedy some have claimed

Finally, although he doesn’t link to the Denver Post op-ed (looks like they were posted online about the same time), education policy guru Rick Hess elaborates with some excellent points about why he sees the Edujobs bailout as “harmful, not just wasteful”. Once you’ve read Ben’s column, follow it up by perusing what Rick Hess has to say. Maybe painful, but also important, to read.

With the midterm elections fast approaching — and jobs, the economy and government spending at the forefront of most voters’ minds — this issue is likely to remain a heated topic of discussion for awhile.

Last week, the House of Representatives passed legislation that included a $10 billion payout to states to preserve K-12 school jobs. Retaining or adding school employees may be a priority for the Democrat majority in Congress and their union backers, which stand to gain more than $20 million. But as a national policy, Congress’ Education Jobs Fund — or “edujobs” — bailout is excessive, shortsighted and fiscally irresponsible.

That’s all the appetizer you get for now. Seriously, just click the link above and read the whole thing. The comments so far are typically what you’d expect — very little tangling with the actual argument and plenty of vitriol. But as long as it’s “for the children” like me…. If you want to jump in the comment section (either here or there), feel free. The water is fine.

This capitulation to national standards in pursuit of federal funds is misguided. Colorado could have led the nation in setting high standards for our public schools, not jump on the bandwagon of uncertain, still-evolving national standards.

Following the pied piper of new federal funding has proven to be a trap many times in the past. When will we stop being enticed into federal programs with some up-front federal funding and then be left hanging when those initial funds run out?

Besides the obvious problem of relying on federal funds that soon will disappear, Senator King raised a specific point I haven’t seen discussed much. Namely, that Colorado’s own high-quality writing standards figure to be forfeited once our state begins relying on regional or national assessments. I think we all can agree students need improved writing skills. It’s very hard to see how Common Core gets our state there.

On a related note, Debi Brazzale of the Colorado News Agency reported yesterday on the skepticism of rural superintendents toward the adoption of Common Core. She must have heard our recent 10-minute iVoices podcast (MP3) with Kit Carson school district “chief” Gerald Keefe.

Parting question for the weekend: Does this development mean Colorado is getting ready to part ways with the long-established principle of “local control” of public schools? If so, what would the implications be?

If recent history is our guide, then we should go back to March and look at NCTQ’s forecast from the first round of RTTT. Delaware, Rhode Island and Tennessee were the only three states to receive green lights; Delaware and Tennessee ended up the only two states to come home with the money.

This time around there figure to be plenty more winners. So the fact that Colorado is one of only three states (Louisiana and Rhode Island are the others) plus Washington, D.C., to receive the coveted green light means our state is a virtual shoo-in for the federal dollars. What kind of valuable, long-term positive impacts would Colorado experience in the highly likely scenario of being an RTTT winner? Now there’s an open question.

Some of the same people who insist teachers across the board are underpaid also hope you can’t do the math. As the Heritage Foundation’s Lindsey Burke points out, the touted number of teacher jobs to be saved (100,000) means the cost for each job is approximately $100,000. Are teachers getting paid really well? Or is the rest of the money paying bureaucrats or buying political favors? I may be young, but I’m not naive enough to expect any serious answers.

Of course, Mike Antonucci also has done the research and reporting to show that the estimates of layoff numbers are overblown as many teachers across the country are being rehired. Does this mean that a “crisis” has been manufactured to help push our nation — and particularly, me and my generation — deeper in debt? You said it. Not I.

It looks like the Obama administration — which is a champion of the edujobs bailout — no longer needs to be burdened by perceptions that they have bucked too hard against the National Education Association (NEA) and other established interests. Rick Hess aptly observes that the President and Arne Duncan have been showcasing the belief “it’s better to spend and then start wishing really hard than to make the tough choices.”

In this case, they and a couple Republican Senators from Maine bowed down to the NEA’s lobbying campaign that will end up ensuring millions more in dues revenue while kids like me get nothing more than being stuck with the bill for money borrowed plus interest.