Texas poised to receive federal education money

During his 2010 re-election campaign, Gov. Rick Perry vowed to secure $830 million in federal education aid for Texas schools that had been held up in Washington.

The stalled money became the subject of a political fight between Perry and Democratic U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett of Austin after Doggett inserted into the law special conditions that Texas must meet to get its share of $10 billion in education funding disbursed to states.

Objecting to this kind of treatment, Perry and other Republican leaders called for a repeal of the Texas-only conditions.

We moved this promise to In the Works after the governor traveled to Washington in February to talk with U.S. House Republican leaders about removing the special requirements.

Perry got his wish this month as part of an eleventh-hour deal between Republicans and Democrats on a budget that would fund the federal government for the rest of fiscal 2011.

The next step for Texas in its efforts to get the education aid, according to an April 12 Austin American-Statesman story, was to submit a new application to the U.S. Department of Education. That occurred April 15. And on Friday, U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan announced in a press release that Texas would be getting the $830 million.

In a press release of his own that day, Perry said: "Today is a victory for Texas schools that have been waiting for these well-deserved federal funds for far too long. Thanks to our persistent efforts, including those of U.S. Rep. Michael Burgess, Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, Sen. John Cornyn and other dedicated members of the Texas congressional delegation, along with House Speaker John Boehner, this funding will soon be flowing to the school teachers and schoolchildren of Texas."

Texas Education Agency spokeswoman Debbie Ratcliffe told us that the state should have access to the funds this week.

With the state's application approved, we're moving the meter to Promise Kept.