No Grant Help for Topeka Schools

     TOPEKA - Topeka school district leaders say Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback and the state's two U.S. senators refused to help it secure a $40 million federal grant. Topeka School Superintendent Julie Ford said Wednesday that Brownback and U.S. Sens. Pat Roberts and Jerry Moran declined to help the district obtain a three-year Race to the Top Grant from the U.S. Department of Education. Representatives for the three political leaders say the grant encourages the use of Common Core standards. They say implementing the standards will be costly, and bring more federal interference into state education. The Lawrence Journal-World reports (http://bit.ly/SAe8Mp ) U.S. Rep. Lynn Jenkins wrote a letter supporting the district's grant application. The Topeka school district was told recently that it will not be considered for the grant.