N.J. School Chief Fired Over Error

After narrowly missing out on receiving millions of dollars for education spending as part of Obama’s “Race to the Top” grant program due to an application error, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has fired Education Commissioner Bret Schundler. The state missed out by 3 points, and answered a 5-point question incorrectly on the application. News of the firing comes after the U.S. Education Department released a videotape Thursday that reportedly contradicts Christie’s claim that federal officials would not allow N.J. to fix the error. “I was extremely disappointed to learn that the videotape of the Race to the Top presentation was not consistent with the information provided to me by the New Jersey Department of Education and which I then conveyed to the people of New Jersey,” Christie said in a statement. “As a result, I ordered an end to Bret Schundler's service as New Jersey's Education commissioner and as a member of my administration.” The error may have cost the state of New Jersey $400 million in education money.