Christie Positioning NJ For Round 2 Of 'Race To The Top'
NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. (WCBS 880) -- The publicity surrounding Governor Christie's criticisms of the federal government rejecting the state's Race to the Top grant application may help New Jersey's chances for aid in the second round of the competition.
LISTEN: WCBS 880's Levon Putney reports
Rutgers Eagleton School of Politics Associate Director John Weingart says the governor is "playing for the next round" and trying to get "better attention."
"The positive story in this is the federal Race to the Top program is energizing states to think about how to improve their schools" Weingart told WCBS 880's Levon Putney.
Governor Christie says he plans to continue with reform efforts, but Weingart says the application gaffe serves as a reminder that with all the cutbacks in government, "agencies are going to become less able to do the functions that we all county on them to do."
On Wednesday, Christie acknowledged that a clerical error regarding state budget information led to New Jersey losing out on the federal aid money. The application had asked for data from FY 2008 and 2009, while the state submitted numbers from FY 2010 and 2011.
