An education advocacy group charges that state lawmakers failed to use all of the federal stimulus money available for education.
The Southern Education Foundation says that the state legislature did not allocate $178 million available federal dollars for education.
Money the group says is desperately needed as schools and universities struggle through the recession.
“The money should be used to reduce the school funding cutbacks in 2009 and 2010 budget,” says Steve Suitts, vice president of the SEF.
But the governor’s office says the $178 million is not lost.
Chris Schrimpf, a spokesman for Governor Sonny Perdue, says the money will be spent, but just not now.
“I hope that groups that are focused on education do their homework first,” says Schrimpf.
“The money that they say is being left on the table is going to be applied to 2011,” he says.
That, however, argues the SEF, might be against the law.
The group has written a letter to U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, asking him for an investigation into whether the state is required to spend the $178 million stimulus dollars now.
