The Senate approved last month its version of "Race to the Top" legislation, which is based on changes Schwarzenegger pushed for when he called a special session on education earlier this fall. The California Teachers Association and other education groups have criticized that bill, saying the changes it proposes are too far reaching and that the bill was crafted before the final application guidelines were released.

"The Assembly got the facts and got the input from educational stakeholders and the public that will help us have the strongest possible application. This collaborative effort will be reflected in the legislation the Assembly will be taking up next week," Assembly Speaker Karen Bass said in a statement.

But Schwarzenegger, in his own response, complained that "It has now been 16 weeks since I called a special session of the legislature to ensure California meets the Race to the Top competitiveness requirements outlined by President Obama, and we are running out of time.

"While ABX5 8 attempts to meet these competitiveness requirements, it doesn't completely embrace the reform culture that President Obama has charged states to adopt. With the bill as it stands, the Assembly risks losing hundreds of millions of dollars for California's school children.

"In order to ensure California meets federal guidelines and is highly competitive for funding, this bill would need to include stronger parental rights, including the right for parents to be empowered to require school boards to reform underperforming schools and the right to enroll their child in the school of their choice. In addition, the federal guidelines clearly call for California to allow charter schools to grow and thrive - and for this reason I urge the Assembly to reconsider the overly restrictive charter school language included in the bill."

A spokeswoman for Democratic Sen. Gloria Romero, who carried the Senate's version of the bill, said their office plans to introduce amendments later this week to tweak the Senate bill so that it's language so it is more closely aligned with the final application guideline regulations.

"Senator Romero is happy to see that the Assembly continues to move with the pace of urgency and we look forward to completing and application to Race to the Top," Spokeswoman Teala Schaff said.

The split reflects a political dance among Democrats, who want to draft legislation that meets the Race to the Top criteria without offending their allies in the California Teachers Assocation and other education groups that are leery about expanding charter schools.

The Assembly Education Committee is set to vote on the legislation at a Dec. 9 hearing, with a full floor vote expected for later in the week.

This post is an updated version of an earlier piece by Torey Van Oot on the legislation being introduced.