Bobby Jindal: We’ll take $15M schools grant, but not Common Core requirements

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal said that his state would apply for a $15 million federal pre-kindergarten grant, but only if the Obama administration does not link the funds to Common Core requirements.

The Republican governor wrote a letter Thursday to President Obama, saying that the grant could offer an opportunity for Louisiana to expand access for parents who choose to send their children to early childhood programs.

“We want to ensure, however, that the grant contains no terms that would require Louisiana to use Common core-aligned or federally or nationally sanctioned standards in the classrooms of our state’s early childhood programs,” Mr. Jindal wrote.

Mr. Jindal, who is rumored to be considering a presidential run in 2016, is a staunch opponent of Common Core and filed a lawsuit against the Obama administration last month, accusing it of illegally forcing states to adopt Common Core standards through financial incentives.

“The federal government has hijacked and destroyed the Common Core initiative,” Mr. Jindal said in a statement. “Common Core is the latest effort by big government disciples to strip away state rights and put Washington, D.C., in control of everything.”