East Bay Districts Could Lose Out on Money for Low-Achieving Schools (CA)

August 3, 2010

The state Board of Education has postponed the award of more than $311 million to 31 districts to help them reform s ome of the state’s persistently lowest-achieving schools.

Board members sought the delay Monday to clarify the selection process for doling out the money, which could exclude districts such as Oakland, Mt. Diablo, West Contra Costa and Los Angeles from receiving any money.

The sticking point was how the California Department of Education prioritized districts to receive the School Improvement Grants, which are being distributed by the federal government and are earmarked for schools that post consistently low scores on standardized tests.

Some 188 schools were identified as persistently low-achieving in a list released in March. Districts with schools on the list were eligible to apply for the money, and most local officials applied for the money on a campus-by-campus basis.

Because there wasn’t enough money for every district that applied, state officials gave priority to those that requested grants to help turn around all campuses on the list. Districts that didn’t request money for each of their lowest-achieving schools were placed behind others for funding, even if the other districts didn’t score as highly on their grant application.

For example, the Concord-based Mt. Diablo school district would lose out on its bid for $15.4 million to improve four of its six schools on the low-achieving list, based on the
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state department’s recommendation. The Hayward district, on the other hand, would receive $10 million to reform its three lowest-achieving schools, even though the district had a lower score on its grant application.

District representatives from Oakland and Los Angeles complained that the selection process unfairly excluded them from receiving mo ney for well-conceived improvement plans.

Oakland schools spokesman Troy Flint said staff were shocked to learn state education officials recommended denying the district’s application for $9.5 million to reform three campuses, including one that will close. Five Oakland campuses landed on the list.

Oakland representatives urged state officials to reconsider the system, which encourages districts to engage in "a blind money grab rather than a more reflective approach," Flint said.

The state board instructed staff to discuss its process with U.S. Department of Education officials to see if the state could award money based on application scores alone. Some trustees also expressed interest in reducing awards so they could spread them out to more districts.

The board expects to meet again this month to finalize the awards so it can let schools know by Sept. 7 how much they will receive.

The state also might be able to apply for a waiver that would allow the board to spend $100 million more this year to help boost performance. The state would normally be required to hold back the extra funding until next year because not all of the state’s lowest-achieving schools applied for money.

Earlier in the meeting, the board unanimously approved national common core academic standards for grades K-12, after much public debate about whether they were as vigorous as the state standards. Trustee Benjamin Austin said the new standards will prepare children for a 21st century economy dominated by information technology.

The vote makes California a more appealing candidate for education stimulus funds. The board also asked that an implementation plan and curriculum deve lopment process for the standards be created.