At a time when California has cut funding for K-12 education – and is about to cut more – the state just left $49 million in federal education dollars on the table.

This failure appears to fall squarely on Gov. Jerry Brown.

California was among nine finalists that came close but didn't win federal competitive Race to the Top Phase 2 funds in 2010. Then came a new opportunity.

There would be a Phase 3, where the nine near-miss states could get a share of $200 million – with California getting $49 million. No competition this time.

The state would get funds if the governor, Superintendent of Public Instruction and president of the State Board of Education signed assurances that California remained committed to reforms in four areas from its Phase 2 application.

These were:

• Implementing common standards that prepare students for college and careers.

• Improving the use of data to support instruction.

• Evaluating teachers and principals, with growth in student performance as a significant factor.

• Turning around the lowest-achieving schools.

That seemed straightforward enough.

California's Phase 2 application focused on a limited number of highly committed school districts. Seven districts – big and small, urban and rural, north and south – would build reform efforts from the ground up.

These districts – Sacramento, Fresno, Clovis, Sanger, Long Beach, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and any others that wanted to sign on – would have flexibility to address the four areas. Their aim would be to share their efforts with other districts.

That seemed a nice fit for Gov. Jerry Brown's emphasis on local control.

But just days before the Nov. 22 deadline, Fresno Unified Superintendent Michael Hanson – who heads an organization of the seven core districts – got word that Brown would not sign the application. California would send a letter instead.

Bad sign.

In the end, that two-page letter – signed by Brown, state Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson and State Board of Education President Michael Kirst – addressed only two of the four reforms from California's Phase 2 application: Common Core standards and shared local data systems. The letter was silent on evaluation and turnaround schools.

That is despite clear guidance from the U.S. Department of Education: "The goal of Phase 3 is not to fund piecemeal reforms loosely based on Phase 2 applications," but to make progress in all four reform areas.

So it is no surprise that California got bumped last Wednesday for submitting an "incomplete application." The $49 million now will be divvied among states that did submit complete applications.

Torlakson and Kirst are grousing. Torlakson insists the letter was a "good faith effort" to continue work on "implementing Common Core standards and improving data sharing among school districts." No mention of the other two priorities. Kirst is disappointed that the feds "did not accept California's approach." Brown has not commented.

Hanson says the seven districts will continue work on Common Core standards and data sharing with $5 million in private funds. The seven districts also will continue the conversation about evaluating teachers and turning around the lowest-achieving schools. But Hanson sees Brown's stance as a "blow to that conversation."

In dribs and drabs, Brown has been signaling what he is against regarding public education – including this latest sabotaging of $49 million in federal funds over teacher evaluation and turnaround schools. But he has yet to lay out a positive education agenda.

During the 2010 campaign, Brown said, "Given education's fundamental importance, I intend to play a major role in education policy."

How about starting with an education agenda, governor?

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