Local School District Chooses to Opt Out of New Federal Program

January 19, 2010

Citing a lack of information and funding, the Berkeley Unified School District has opted not to join the more than 700 California education agencies in the state’s bid to compete for a share of a $4.8 billion federal education grant as part of President Barack Obama’s "Race to the Top" program.

Participating states would apply for a portion of the grant money, and as part of the process, U.S. Department of Education officials asked state legislatures to institute policy changes and to encourage local school district participation to improve their standing.

In an attempt to bolster California’s chance to claim an estimated $700 million portion of the grant, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed two bills into law on Jan. 15 that in part give parents power to shape their child’s educational experience and that allow the state to compile data that would link teacher evaluations to student performance.

But District Superintendent Bill Huyett said that the state failed to provide enough information to the district for it to join the more than 700 other education agencies in the state who have chosen to participate in the program.

"The board was being required to say that they would abide by everything in the state plan," he said. "There was, and I think still, no state plan for them to look at. Even though there was some indicators of what Race to the Top is about, the state has to build a plan about what the districts need to do."

&lt ;p>The district-which is facing an estimated $1.8 million cut to its budget for the district-stood to receive an estimated $175,000 over a four-year period, Huyett said, adding that it would hardly be enough to cover the costs required to hire the necessary personnel to administer the program.

"The most we’d be able to hire is half a teacher," he said.

The local school district is not alone in choosing to opt out of the program. The Bakersfield City School District cited similar reasons for its choice not to participate, according to Steve Gabbitas, the district’s communications manager.

"Anytime money comes along, there are strings attached to it," he said. "And it’s only one-time money. What can we do with that? We can’t hire more teachers. All we can do is buy toys for the kids."

Berkeley Board of Education President Karen Hemphill said the local district’s relative financial stability allowed the board the luxury to decline participation in the program, a luxury not shared by many districts throughout the state.

"Other districts have eliminated classrooms-we haven’t," she said. "Other districts have eliminated enrichment programs. We haven’t. Even if it’s one-time money, (many districts are) literally trying to survive semester to semester."

One example is the Oakland Unified School District, which has chosen to participate in the program after seeing its $600 million total budget repeatedly slashed in recent years. The district is now facing an estimated $36 million reduction for 2010-11, according to district spokesperson Troy Flint.

Flint said the district is estimated to receive about $50 per pupil through its participation in the program.

"We’re not in a position to turn our nose up at money," he said. "It’s not a silver bullet, but it’s enough money to be significant in a time of declining revenues."