States that lost school money face reform dilemmas
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Sunday, December 5, 2010; 12:31 PM
DENVER -- It's like buying a fancy dress but having no date to the prom - dozens of states that crafted new education policies to compete for a share of the $3.4 billion "Race to the Top" school reform grant prizes were shut out.
Now, as the 11 winning states and the District of Columbia set about spending their awards, the losing states are left wondering what to do with ambitious reform plans they planned to fund with the money.
In Colorado, for example, lawmakers had the prize in mind earlier this year when they adopted a contentious plan to pay teachers based on student performance. Now, state educators are obligated to some up with a new evaluation for teachers - with no new money to pay for it.
"There was no Plan B for paying for these changes when they were rushing to get them for 'Race to the Top,'" said Henry Roman, an elementary school teacher in Denver and head of