California loses RTTT

The state Department of Education announced Tuesday California was not selected as a winner for Phase 2 funding of the federal Race to the Top competition.

In July 2009, President Barack Obama and U.S. Department of Education Secretary Arne Duncan announced the requirements for states to compete for $4.35 billion in federal funds, the single largest pool of discretionary funding for education reform in U.S. history. 

California could have secured up to $700 million in funding for the state's schools if they were one of the states that won.

The 10 winning Phase 2 states: the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, and Rhode Island.