Fox Accepts Federal School Improvement Money Superintendent Had Opposed State’s Acceptance Of Goals 2000 Grant

Anne Fox, superintendent of schools BOISE State Schools Superintendent Anne Fox, the one-time adamant opponent of accepting federal Goals 2000 money for school improvement, became the leading advocate for that cash Friday now that it can be earmarked for technology.

“It looks like there’s flexibility,” Fox told the other members of the state Board of Education, which unanimously approved applications for $3 million more in Goals 2000 money over the next two years.

“I feel comfortable at this point in asking for technology money because I don’t see it laced with federal strings that would jeopardize the children, that would dictate curriculum,” Fox said.

Fox had persistently disputed claims of other Idaho educators that the federal school improvement grants were essentially free of restrictions and had objected throughout 1995 and early 1996 to the state accepting the money. The initial $455,000 the state received under the program was obtained by the board over Fox’s objections.

But changes in the federal program allowed Fox and the other board members to essentially reach a compromise by earmarking the federal grant money for classroom technology.

But the rancor between Fox and some board members still surfaced in what seemed to be a protracted discussion about whether Fox or the board itself would be responsible with Gov. Phil Batt for appointing members to a special broad-based planning panels.

But Jerry Pelton, Fox’s deputy superintendent for state-federal instructional services, said that panel is needed as part of the process for distributing future grant funds to individual school districts on a competitive basis.

The initial cash received by Idaho under the program was used to develop the statewide plan for technology in schools, which was tentatively approved by the board on Friday.