- March 29, 2010
Senators React To Delaware Being Chosen As A Race To The Top Winner
Carper and Kaufman Supported the Request; Thrilled With News
WILMINGTON, Del. (Monday, March 29, 2010) – U.S. Sens. Tom Carper and Ted Kaufman (both D-Del.) – react to the U.S. Department of Education’s (DOE) choice of Delaware as one of first phase recipients for Race to the Top. According to the DOE, Delaware will receive approximately $100 million and Tennessee $500 million in American Recovery & Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds to implement their comprehensive school reform plans over the next four years. All 50 states and the District of Columbia applied to this competitive grant program.
“I couldn’t be happier with the decision the Department of Education announced today,” Carper said. “One of the most important things we’re doing in Delaware and across America is preparing the next generation of workers that will enable our country to be competitive in the global economy of the 21st century. According to Secretary Arne Duncan we’re on the right track in Delaware; in fact, we’re leading the nation in this critical Race to the Top. That wasn’t always the case. It is today. I am proud to hear some of the reforms adopted in the late 1990s helped provide the foundation on which Delaware’s proposal was built. For years, our great state has been known for the 5 Cs: credit cards, corporations, chickens, chemicals and cars. I suggest that today we add a sixth: classrooms.”
“Great news for Delaware – this is a very, very competitive grant that will benefit all Delaware students,” Kaufman said. “I am especially pleased this grant will concentrate on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education, or STEM education, which will give Delaware students a leg up in the job market of the 21st century. The announcement that Delaware is No. 1 in this competition is a testament to the dedication and proven leadership of Governor Jack Markell and Delaware’s Secretary of Education Lillian Lowery. Winning the Race to the Top award is a tremendous opportunity for Delaware to build upon our already remarkable collective effort to create world class schools. These Recovery Act dollars will provide unprecedented resources to make even more innovative, ambitious educational improvements in our schools and give students the best education possible.”
The DOE will have about $3.4 billion available for the second phase of the Race to the Top competition, which will be decided in June.