Schools to feel impact as Alaska's Gov. Sarah Palin and several other Republican governors announce their intention to reject some federal dollars
Primary Topic Channel: Funding
A growing chorus of Republican governors say they will not accept a portion of the federal stimulus funding their states are eligible to receive, putting schools in the middle of a heated political squabble that is sure to affect their budgets.
Last week, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin said she would accept only 69 percent of the estimated $930 million that could flow to her state, leaving it up to the Alaska Legislature to request hundreds of millions of dollars from the federal government.
Palin's rejection of $160 million for education drew a strong rebuke from Anchorage Superintendent of Schools Carol Comeau, who said she was shocked and disappointed.
"We believe that we can make very good use of the funds, not only in job preservation but also in adding new positions to ultimately use these funds to increase student achievement for our neediest children," Comeau said in a news release.
Comeau pointed to money that would have gone into training for special-education teachers and additional support for needy preschool children.
Palin said she would only accept money that is "timely, targeted and temporary" and does not create strings that will bind the state in the future.
"I can't attest to every fund that's being offered the state in the stimulus package will be used to create jobs and stimulate the economy, so I'm requesting only those things that I know will," Palin said at a March 19 news conference at the state Capitol. "Public discussion will have to ensue on all those other dollars that some will say 'you left on the table.'"
Some other Republican governors also have announced reservations about accepting the federal money, particularly when it comes to expanding jobless benefits.
Texas Gov. Rick Perry last week announced that he turned down $555 million of federal stimulus funding that would expand the state's unemployment benefits. Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal has said he would not accept nearly $100 million to expand unemployment benefits. And South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford has said he only wants to use the federal money to pay down debt.