Texas getting $830M in federal education funds

AUSTIN — Texas will receive $830 million in public education funds that had been stalled amid political wrangling, the U.S. Department of Education announced Friday.

"There is a huge sense of urgency to get these funds out the door," said U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan in a news release.

The federal budget deal negotiated earlier this month to avoid a government shutdown had removed the strings U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D- Austin, attached to the funds over the summer. The bill removed a requirement that Gov. Rick Perry, a Republican, use the money to supplement existing school spending rather than just replace state funds in order to balance the budget.

Perry has blasted Doggett for attaching strings to the federal money intended to protect 300,000 teachers and other nonfederal government workers from layoffs. Texas Republicans made repealing the amendment a priority.

Perry said in a news release Friday that he welcomed the Education Department's decision to approve the state's application for the funds.

"Today is a victory for Texas schools that have been waiting for these well-deserved federal funds for far too long," Perry said.

Education faces major cuts with Texas forced to confront a $27 billion budget shortfall in order to maintain the current level of services.

The Texas-specific provision required that Perry promise the state maintained certain education spending levels through 2013 in order to get the funds. Perry said the Texas Constitution prohibited him from committing to future state spending.

"These funds will provide much needed funding for our schools as they prepare their budgets for the coming year and will help retain thousands of teacher jobs," Texas Education Commissioner Robert Scott said.

Democrats in Congress said they added the provision because of the way Texas handled federal stimulus dollars in 2009. Texas lawmakers used $3.2 billion in federal stimulus money to replace state money and ended the legislative session with billions in the state's reserve rainy-day fund.  Sourced By Houston Chron.