Christie blasts Washington for New Jersey’s loss in Race to the Top funding scheme

New Jersey Governor Christie is lashing out at Washington for his state’s failure to qualify in round two of the Department of Education’s Race to the Top program.

Christie says the state lost because it accidentally put the wrong information on its application.  The Governor says he takes responsibility for what he called a clerical error a mid level official made on one page of the state’s thousand page application.

But he says his education commissioner provided the correct information in a verbal presentation two weeks ago. Christie says the federal education department put form over substance in denying the state’s application.

“Are you guys just down there checking boxes like mindless drones,” he asks.  “Or are you thinking, because what you want to have happen is to have a firestorm of reform of our education system in New Jersey which is necessary.”

Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver says the appropriations committee will hold a hearing to get more details on how and why the state’s mistakes were made.