Is District Participation in Race to the Top: Binding or Not?
By Alyson Klein & Michele McNeil K-12 Blog
As states scramble to get their Race to the Top Fund applications in before the Jan. 19 deadline it looks like theres tension or at least questions emerging concerning those Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) that districts are supposed to sign off on to show that theyre planning to participate in the Race to the Top. Many districts arent sure exactly what theyre committing to do and even wonder if its a binding agreement. Folks at two organizations that advocate for districts the National School Boards Association and the American Association of School Administrators tell me theyve been fielding lots of questions on this issue.
It sounds like in some places district officials arent clear on whether the MOUs are supposed to be binding or not meaning theyre not sure if they have to follow through if a state gets selected for a grant.
Its in a states best interest to get as many districts as possible to sign on to its Race to the Top bid. It helps the state rack up points in the economic-stimulus grant competition.
But some districts at least in Michigan are mulling whether they should sign on to the states bid especially since some say theyre not clear on the states plan and what theyd be agreeing to.
This has also come up in California where some districts have joined the effort reluctantly according to local reports. The picture is mixed in Louisiana where some districts have embraced the plan but the state school boards association has its doubts.
The teacher union issues are very much at play here as some of these questions have run right into collective bargaining agreements. Check out my colleague
Steve Sawchuks excellent story.
And dont expect this tension to go away any time soon. Folks who want to see a major push for education reform from Race to the Top are hoping states that get the grants will make sure districts follow through.
Whether or not this gets implemented at the local level is going to be dependent on the MOUs said Charles Barone the director of federal relations for Democrats for Education Reform. Theres a lot of room for slippage there.
Earlier this week
Alyson blogged about the tension between states and districts over Race to the Top participation.
The more school districts that sign an MOU agreeing to participate in a states reform plan the more points a state gets in the competition. And participating school districts in return would enjoy a slice of their states award.
But many districts arent sure exactly what theyre committing to do and even wonder if its a binding agreement.
Well the U.S. Department of Education weighed in on this during two technical planning seminars last month when state teams asked whether local districts can drop out from participating after a state wins a grant.
The answer from the department was basically that if one district drops out after a state wins then no big deal. If a couple of districts drop out then probably no big deal.
But if significant numbers drop out then there would have to be a detailed conversation with the department about whether the grant would continue. After all applications were judged in part on how significant local district participation is.
So if districts start dropping like flies then they jeopardize their states Race to the Top grant.
Read the relevant Q-and-A from the Baltimore seminars transcipt focusing on a question that starts on page 73 and another question that starts on page 383.
And for another good back-and-forth
read the Denver seminars transcript starting with a question on page 80.
As states scramble to get their Race to the Top Fund applications in before the Jan. 19 deadline it looks like theres tension or at least questions emerging concerning those Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) that districts are supposed to sign off on to show that theyre planning to participate in the Race to the Top. Many districts arent sure exactly what theyre committing to do and even wonder if its a binding agreement. Folks at two organizations that advocate for districts the National School Boards Association and the American Association of School Administrators tell me theyve been fielding lots of questions on this issue.
It sounds like in some places district officials arent clear on whether the MOUs are supposed to be binding or not meaning theyre not sure if they have to follow through if a state gets selected for a grant.
Its in a states best interest to get as many districts as possible to sign on to its Race to the Top bid. It helps the state rack up points in the economic-stimulus grant competition.
But some districts at least in Michigan are mulling whether they should sign on to the states bid especially since some say theyre not clear on the states plan and what theyd be agreeing to.
This has also come up in California where some districts have joined the effort reluctantly according to local reports. The picture is mixed in Louisiana where some districts have embraced the plan but the state school boards association has its doubts.
The teacher union issues are very much at play here as some of these questions have run right into collective bargaining agreements. Check out my colleague Steve Sawchuks excellent story.
