Education Week: State law blocks stimulus education funds:
"RENO, Nev. (AP) — Nevada is ineligible to compete for millions of stimulus education funding because of a state law pushed by the teachers union.
The law prohibits student achievement data from being used in teacher evaluations. That means the state isn't eligible to enter the Obama administration's Race to the Top, a $4.3 billion competition for states trying to turn around failing schools."
State superintendent Keith Rheault says Nevada won't apply for the first round of funding because of the law, which would need a special legislative session to change.
"If you're desperate for money and you get a credit card offer in the mail, you read the fine print to see what the interest rate is," Rheault said. "This to me is like a 35 percent interest rate, with all the federal reporting requirements and changes to regulations. But it just depends on how desperate you are for the money."
The state can still work to resolve other issues in time for the second phase of funding, Rheault said.
Rheault said changing the state law would not immediately make the state eligible for the federal funds because the competition requires states to have increased education funding between 2008 and 2009 and Nevada had to cut its funding. The state would also have to dedicate money for after the stimulus funds ran out.
"RENO, Nev. (AP) — Nevada is ineligible to compete for millions of stimulus education funding because of a state law pushed by the teachers union.
The law prohibits student achievement data from being used in teacher evaluations. That means the state isn't eligible to enter the Obama administration's Race to the Top, a $4.3 billion competition for states trying to turn around failing schools."
State superintendent Keith Rheault says Nevada won't apply for the first round of funding because of the law, which would need a special legislative session to change.
"If you're desperate for money and you get a credit card offer in the mail, you read the fine print to see what the interest rate is," Rheault said. "This to me is like a 35 percent interest rate, with all the federal reporting requirements and changes to regulations. But it just depends on how desperate you are for the money."
The state can still work to resolve other issues in time for the second phase of funding, Rheault said.
Rheault said changing the state law would not immediately make the state eligible for the federal funds because the competition requires states to have increased education funding between 2008 and 2009 and Nevada had to cut its funding. The state would also have to dedicate money for after the stimulus funds ran out.
