Opposition to Federal Education Grant Program Emerges

Several rural states, including Montana, have said they will not apply, at least for now, partly because of the emphasis on charter schools, which would draw resources from small country schools.

The Obama administration’s main school improvement initiative has triggered education policy changes in states across the nation, but it is meeting with some last-minute resistance as the first deadline for applications arrives on Tuesday.

Thousands of school districts in California, Ohio and other states have declined to participate, and teachers unions in Michigan, Minnesota and Florida recommended that their local units not sign on to their states’ applications.

By SAM DILLON

Full Story: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/19/education/19educ.html?hp