Deal switches position, favors taking Race to the Top money

By Aaron Gould Sheinin

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Republican gubernatorial candidate Nathan Deal backtracked Tuesday afternoon and said he, too, would accept millions of federal dollars for education if the state wins the Race to the Top program.

That's different from what Deal, a former congressman, told the Metro Atlanta Chamber forum Tuesday morning, when he said the potential $400 million federal windfall would come with too many strings.

But, Deal said in an interview Tuesday afternoon, that he realized his original fears are — mostly — unfounded after he discussed the program with some educators from his home county.

"That relieves my concerns," Deal said.

Originally, Deal and Karen Handel, the two hopefuls battling in Tuesday's Republican runoff for governor, took divergent paths on whether the state should accept the federal money for education reform initiatives. Deal said "no," and Handel said "yes."

Deal’s objections were that he believed the the federal government would require all states in the program to use a standard curriculum, which he opposes. He also said it could hinder the state’s ability to create a “pay for performance” plan that rewards teachers whose students excel.

Deal spokesman Brian Robinson said that Deal changed his stance, though, after educators in Hall County contacted the candidate to discuss his position after they read his original objections on ajc.com.

“He found out that there was a misunderstanding,” Robinson said.

local Hall County school system, who assured him that's not the case.

Still, Deal said, he is worried that once the federal money runs out, the state will be left holding the bag to continue the new programs.

"We would accept the money, but I still don't have the answer to that yet," he said.

Race to the Top is a $3.4 billion competitive grant program, and Georgia last week was named a finalist for part of the pot. It's the second time the state has been named a finalist, but in the first round of funding earlier this year, the state lost out.

Handel, a former Georgia secretary of state, told the chamber that she would take the money.

"As long as we're paying taxes to the federal government I think I have a responsibility to make sure Georgia gets its fair share," she said. "We should not turn our nose up at it."

She said she would want to be sure "the strings aren't too much to accept," but later she said the conditions she is concerned about involve what happens when the money runs out.

Democratic gubernatorial nominee Roy Barnes said he, too, would take the money.

Barnes' campaign manager, Chris Carpenter, said in a statement that the former governor thinks that Race to the Top funds "would help bring innovation into our classrooms and turn low-performing schools around."

"Roy wants to make education work in Georgia," Carpenter said, "and that includes fully funding public education to support and strengthen our schools."

Gov. Sonny Perdue, a Republican leaving office in 2011, supports the program. John Barge, the GOP nominee for state school superintendent, does not. Democratic superintendent nominee Joe Martin supports the program overall while Libertarian candidate Kira Willis opposes Race to the Top.

Perdue, who has led the state's effort to win the money, said there are no federal strings attached to the money. Perdue  spokesman Bert Brantley said the only requirements are what the state included in its application.

James Hatcher, 36, who owns an equipment rental company in Cleveland, Ga., said there remains real questions as to whether Race to the Top is a good move for Georgia. But, he said, he appreciated Deal's willingness to find more answers.

"It sounds to me the man called the people it's going to affect," Hatcher said. "I hope Handel would, too. That's what we need in a governor is someone who, one, understands the issues."

John Orrison of Gainesville understands the complicated nature of the situation. The state is facing continued budget cuts, and teachers across the state faced layoffs and furloughs.

"If I were responsible for the whole thing, it'd be hard to turn down the money," said Orrison, a 66-year-old engineer. "You look at what it could do for the population and the good you'd be able to do."

But, Orrison said, "a very wise man told me one time there's no free lunch."

Georgia, 17 other states and the District of Columbia are finalists in Round 2 of Race to the Top.

U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan has indicated 10 to 15 states are likely to be selected in the next few weeks to share the money. Georgia potentially could receive up to $400 million over four years. Winners will be announced late this month or in early September.

Georgia was the third-highest scorer when 40 states and the District of Columbia participated earlier this year in Round 1 of the competition, which President Barack Obama has said is intended to promote innovative education reforms that can be replicated across the country. But only two states were selected in March to receive the grants: Delaware ($100 million) and Tennessee ($500 million).

One thing Tennessee had in its original application was a commitment from all the state's candidates for governor that they supported the state's bid. Brantley said it's not clear whether that helped Tennessee, but having the commitments can't hurt.

The U.S. Department of Education has not "indicated one way or another whether that will be part of the grading," Brantley said. But "we know they're looking for a plan that has the potential to be fully implemented as it was in the application."

Staff writer Nancy Badertscher contributed to this article.