Only a small portion of the $100 billion the U.S. federal government directed to states in school stimulus spending funds last year was tied directly  to reform. Those relatively small amounts have had a sizable impact as states rushed to make needed changes to compete for Race to the Top incentive dollars. Now Congress is considering taking dollars from this and other reform programs of the Obama administration to fund an effort to preserve education jobs.Specifically, Rep. David R. Obey, chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, suggests taking money set aside for education-reform initiatives to help fund the $10 billion Keep Our Educators Working Act. To help come up with spending offsets to advance the stalled bill, Obey proposed reducing appropriations for the Race to the Top fund; the Teacher Incentive Fund, which supports creation of pay-for-performance programs; and the Charter Schools Program. The plan, unveiled Tuesday, set off protests from advocates for education reform, but Obey was unapologetic, explaining that reform is rendered meaningless when massive numbers of teachers are in danger of losing their jobs.Source: The Washington Post