CA losing steam in race for $3.4 billion in Federal Education Dollars
California has already lost out on the first round of Federal Race to the Top Education dollars, and now because of poor relations with the teachers union and a troublesome data system, state officials may not even try to compete for the second round worth nearly $3.4 billion dollars in education grants.
Earlier this year, California came in 27th out of 41 states that applied for the first round of funding, winning only 354 points out of a total 500 points available. States were given points based on how much support the state had in applying for the funding. Delaware and Tennessee won the first round. Delaware will receive approximately $100 million and Tennessee $500 million to implement their comprehensive school reform plans over the next four years.
When California submitted it's first application, only about half of the local school districts said they would participate and in those districts, only one quarter of the teachers unions signed on.
In evaluating California's application, the reviewers wrote, "The lack of union buy-in at this stage raises serious concerns about the ability of California to implement the Race to the Top reforms," adding that "significant points were deducated for the state's lack of union buy-in."
Race to the Top is President Obama's attempt to infuse federal dollars into schools and districts willing to implement key reforms. The contest is encouraging states to create more charter schools and tie teacher pay to student performance. The California Teachers Association
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