The Senate bill still allows States to reduce their maintenance of effort to FY 06 levels, and allows the States to waive MOE and supplement, not-supplant provisions of Title I and IDEA entirely.

The net effect of that will be no net increase in spending on education. States will cut their spending levels, use the Federal funds to make up the difference, and sing praises to heaven about the fact that they did not ‘cut’ any jobs.

But for the billions being spent here, nothing new will come of it.

Let’s hope Duncan has the intestinal fortitude to spend the $7.5 billion incentive grant wisely, and will be able to withstand future congressional riders to prevent him from saying no to bad decisions by the states.