"Texas school districts might have a shot at the federal Race to the Top grant money after all.
President Barack Obama announced Tuesday that he would seek $1.35 billion in next year's budget to expand the $4 billion grant contest and let individual school districts — instead of just states — apply.
The Democratic president took an indirect jab at Republican Gov. Rick Perry, who said last week that Texas would not compete for as much as $700 million in Race to the Top funds. Obama said that opening up the contest would help “innovative districts like the one in Texas whose reform efforts are being stymied by state decision-makers.”
Obama likely was referring to the Houston Independent School District, which last week adopted a policy linking student test scores to teachers' job evaluations and dismissal decisions — a key part of the president's education reform agenda.
HISD well-positioned
HISD Superintendent Terry Grier, who lobbied the Obama administration for a grant contest for districts after Perry opted out of the competition, said Texas' largest school system would be well positioned to win funds."