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Race to the Top program raises issues

By Jessica Alaimo
CentralOhio.com

BUCYRUS -- The federal government is poised to give Ohio school districts up to $400 million to improve education, but 60 percent said no thanks.

The Race to the Top grant money is intended to create programs to help students participate in the global economy, find innovative ways to track student success, reward effective teachers and improve the lowest-achieving schools.

While state officials touted the program, local officials had mixed reactions. Grant language is vague, and officials had different interpretations of what it meant.

The Colonel Crawford Local School District was one of many across Ohio that did not apply. Superintendent Ted Bruner said the criteria was vague and "packed thoroughly with a political agenda."

He said the issues of rewarding teachers based on merit and evaluating them based on test scores clashed with the district's negotiation agreement.

Crestline Superintendent Dave Hefflinger said the district's union echoed that sentiment.

"The teachers association had issues with the requirements of the grant," he said.

While Hefflinger refused to list union criticisms, he said the Crestline board supported the grant.

Wynford Superintendent Steve Mohrs had a similar response.

"In order for a district to apply for the funds, the board of education would have to agree to the recommendation of understanding. And the teacher's union would have to sign off on it as well," he said. "Our teacher's union chose not to sign off on that. I don't want to speak for other districts in the county, but I think you will find situations similar to ours.

"I think the union's biggest complaint with that is it would have to agree with certain hiring practices and negotiating techniques."

Despite local union concerns over how this may affect contracts, Randy Flora, director of educational policy and coalition relations for the Ohio Education Association, expects his organization to back the grant program. However, he agrees the decision to participate should be made on a local level.

"I'm pleased that as many signed on as they did," Flora said. "It gives us the opportunity to make changes in districts, but also respect unions who don't want to participate."

Sue Taylor, president of the Ohio Federation of Teachers, said her organization backs the program.

School officials faced a hurdle getting grant applications in because of the deadline, which fell over winter break.

Districts getting grant money will be able to devise and implement a new teacher evaluation system that will be more in-depth and up-to-date, Taylor said.

"The grant will allow us to make revisions, look at innovation and do it in a collaborative way," Taylor said. "It sets expectations for an in-depth collaboration for a two-way conversation between teachers and administrators."

The fewer districts in Crawford County that apply for the Race to the Top grant, the more money for Galion City School District. Superintendent Kathy Jenney said the district will put in an application or choose to withdraw by April.

Jenney said teachers are still looking at the grant program requirements and have concerns about compensation tied to student performance.