Partnership Could Mean Federal Funds for Schools

January 11, 2010

The Vigo County School Board on Monday will discuss whether the district should sign a Race to the Top partnership agreement with the state that could, potentially, make it eligible for competitive, federal stimulus funding.

However, the agreement, due to the state on Tuesday, comes with some controversial terms.

“There are components that cause concern among educators,” said Superintendent Dan Tanoos. Those concerns focus on potential “consequences” for accepting the money.

Teachers would have to have annual evaluations, and evaluations would be used “to inform compensation, promotion and retention” as well as removal, according to the agreement.

“They want to tie their ev aluations to test scores,” Tanoos said.

The agreement also seeks to ensure “equitable distribution of effective teachers and principals” in high poverty and/or high-minority schools.

Tanoos said he doesn’t believe that taking teachers from “schools of wealth” to “schools of poverty” would make a difference in achievement.

He believes that starting preschool programs in those high-poverty schools would make a difference and better enable those children to succeed.

Cam Savage, state Department of Education spokesman, said the state’s application for Race to the Top funding is due the 19th, and school districts have until Tuesday “to tell us whether they want to participate,” he said Friday. “They don’t have to. We hope they will. We have over 100 school corporations that have sent in the forms.”

The state wants signatures from the superintendent, school board president and teachers association leader.

The full School Board doesn’t necessarily have to approve it, Savage said.

The agreement does call for teacher evaluation to be tied to academic performance, he said.

Schools that turn in the forms can still back out of participation in Race to the Top later on, Savage said. “It doesn’t tie them into anything if they decide they can’t participate,” he said.

The federal government has suggested that states of Indiana’s size will be eligible for grants of between $150 million and $250 million, although it could be higher, depending on the strength of the application, Savage said. While it is a competitive process, “We are very confident,” he said.

There will be two rounds. In the first round, applications must be submitted by Jan. 19, with awards in the spring. The second round will be later.

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Race to the Top is a national federal stimulus program dedicated to education. Congress has allocated $4.3 million for a competitive grant program.

In other matters, the Vigo County School Board will conduct its annual organizational meeting at 7 p.m. Monday prior to the regular board meeting.

It will elect officers and approve the 2010 calendar, among other business.

The board also:

• Will approve a Safe and Drug Free Schools and Communities grant of $87,899. Funds are used for drug prevention, anti-bullying and violence prevention programs, among others.

Ray Azar, director of student services, noted that funding for the Safe and Drug Free program has been cut for future years and this is the last grant that will be awarded in the program. Beginning with the 2011-12 school year, the grant will no longer be available.

Azar said the program has not been re-authorized by Congress. There may be other funding at some point, but it likely may be a competitive process instead of by formula.

“It may also be that there is nothing to take its place. It is too early to tell,” he said. “The programs that we have funded in the past will need to be changed or restored in other forms, if possible. There may be activities that will not be funded in years to come. We will need to look at all of the options as we consider this situation in the months ahead.”

• The board also will approve employee agreements and compensation increases for two employee groups, custodial/maintenance and school secretaries.

The one-time compensation increases are 1.3 percent for 2010 and 1.6 percent for 2011, which is what other employee groups have received.

This includes an increase of the board share of the health insuranc e premium rate increase, which will maintain the same dollar ratio.