Christmas arrives two days early for school systems in seven states.

The Education Department will divide a $200 million jackpot among the following states in the latest round of the "Race to the Top" competition:

• AZ $25 million

• CO $18 million

• IL $43 million

• KY $17 million

• LA $17 million

• NJ $37 million

• PA $41 million

The states all were finalists in last year's competition and won for making commitments to invest in college and career prep, particularly STEM - science, technology, engineering and math. California could have won too but the state's application was incomplete.

Education Secretary Arne Duncan also threatened that one of last year's winners, Hawaii, could lose more than $70 million of its grant for failing to keep its promises.

Last Friday, the Obama administration doled out $500 million in Race to the Top grants for pre-K programs in CA, DE, MD, MA, MN, NC, OH, RI & WA.

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