Hopatcong Superintendent 'Not Surprised' NJ Lost Federal Race to the Top Grant

Hopatcong schools Superintendent Dr. Charles Maranzano didn't flinch when told New Jersey wasn't one of nine states chosen for the Race to the Top grant Tuesday.

"It doesn't surprise me at all," he said.

The U.S. Department of Education announced the District of Columbia, Massachusetts, New York, Ohio, Rhode Island, Maryland, Georgia, Hawaii, Florida and North Carolina would receive up to $400 million in federal grants. New Jersey was a finalist in the grant competition, but not a winner.

The winners will split the money from the second round of the $4.35 billion school-reform grant competition, but not equally.

Maranzano, in his second year as superintendent, said the district didn't plan to receive the money. He added that while he would have taken the extra funding, it might have had its drawbacks.

"Superintendents are disappointed, sure," he said. "But many of them are also relieved because Race to the Top funds aren't enduring funds.

"It's finite," he continued. "The funding wouldn't have sustained itself into future years. It's another one of those things where they give you money and expect you to do things differently. And then the money dries up. So I think that's the other side of the [issue]."

Maranzano also said he figured New Jersey would fall short. The state finished 11th, three points behind Ohio in rankings, according to information posted on the federal website.

Maranzano said be believed New Jersey's original grant application, which didn't include the New Jersey Education Association's support, wasn't strong enough. The union had OK'ed an earlier version of the application, but the governor rejected the compromise.

"The money would have been there in the initial years," Maranzano said. "But when the money dried up from the government, the state would have been left holding the bag. I think that's the way we're left looking at these things now. What is it going to cost us not only today, but what is it going to cost us over time?"

State Education Commissioner Bret Schundler released a statement saying he was disappointed.

"This process has allowed us to move quickly and vigorously to craft much-needed education reforms, while securing the unanimous, bipartisan support of the legislature for the plan embodied in our Race to the Top application," he said in the statement. "This fall we must act swiftly to implement the education reforms the people of New Jersey deserve and demand to transform schools in our state that are failing, improve the quality of education for every New Jersey child and challenge the status quo wherever it is necessary."

NJEA President Barbra Keshishian released a statement blaming Christie for the defeat.

"New Jersey's failure to win Race to the Top funding is a direct result of Gov. Christie's misguided decision to hijack the grant application process for his own political purposes," she said in the statement. "He now owes the people of New Jersey an explanation for why his application failed. And he owes students and taxpayers an apology for undermining a process that could have brought much-needed resources and genuine reform to our state's public schools."

Maranzano said he believed the grant would have gone toward new programs, like teacher merit evaluations, which he doesn't think Hopatcong needs.

"We don't need that right now," he said. "We need more money for special education. Or more money for students at risk. Or more money for vocational education."

Maranzano said more than 22 percent of Hopatcong's students are classified as special education students.