Being a politician is a tough racket; you have to take credit for everything that”™s good.
Or even if it just sounds good.
Or even if it sounds good and really means nothing at the moment.
Let us illustrate this via last week”™s announcement by the U.S. Department of Education that New York state is one of 19 finalists vying for a share of the $3.4 billion Race to the Top funding.
Got that?
The state is in the running for education funds along with 17 other states and the District of Columbia.
OK?
Here is state Sen. Suzi Oppenheimer”™s take on the announcement:
“With New York”™s inclusion today as a finalist in the federal Race to the
Top competition, we are seeing the first results of the sweeping education
reforms I sponsored in the Senate.”
Pardon? We believe this is the old oranges and apples gambit.
She continues:
“The innovations we have already implemented will improve our schools and enhance the educational experience for generations of students, while at the same time making New York a strong contender for these federal funds.”
Again, pardon?
Not to be outdone by hubris nor a member from the other house in the state Legislature, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver had this to say:
“The U.S. Department of Education”™s selection of New York state as a finalist for Race to the Top funding is welcome news for our school children and our school districts, and is a clear acknowledgement of our strong commitment to ensuring that each and every one of our public-school students receives the finest possible education.”
Hmm.
“I commend Assembly Education Committee Chair Catherine Nolan, all of our Assembly colleagues, the governor, the Senate, Mayor Bloomberg and United Federation of Teachers President Michael Mulgrew for the concerted effort which made possible the sweeping education reforms enacted earlier in this legislative session.”
Earlier in the year, Silver failed to provide a bulletproof proposal and cost the state $700 million in Race to the Top funds during the first go-round.
Perhaps that is why he added this thank you:
“We applaud our state Board of Regents Chancellor Merryl Tisch, state Education Commissioner David Steiner, and Senior Deputy Commissioner John King for their leadership in crafting an application worthy of serious consideration for federal funding.”
The state lost out at a chance for those earlier funds because Silver didn”™t include charter schools as part of the proposal. That earned the state an automatic stamp of REJECTED by Washington. The Legislature rectified that problem by passing a law to expand the number of charter schools in the state.
But all of this doesn”™t mean the state will receive an automatic approval for the funds.
As Paul Harvey used to say, here”™s the rest of the story.
The 19 finalists next have to travel to Washington, D.C., during the week of Aug. 9 to present their respective plans to peer reviewers who scored their applications. Following their presentations and “an extended question-and-answer period,” the reviewers will score the proposals. Winners will be announced in September.
Silver said: “I firmly believe that New York state is positioned to receive the maximum award, which will fortify our mission of improving student performance and closing the achievement gap.”
Well, guess what? Education Secretary Arne Duncan said that not all finalists would be awarded grants.
Duncan spelled it out last week:
“Just as in the first round, we”™re going to set a very high bar because we know that real and meaningful change will only come from doing hard work and setting high expectations.”
We remember the first round. Let”™s hope it”™s not repeated.
Let us also hope that politicians don”™t count their chickens before they hatch when putting out press releases or pose a dangerous question as did state Sen. Bill Perkins when he asked in a media advisory:
“Join Senator Bill Perkins as he asks subway riders
HAVE YOU SEEN A RAT TODAY?”
The four- or two-legged variety?
