Nothing strikingly different in Jersey.

Read the short article and a sea of comments, and post a comment of your own on nj.com.
http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2010/01/h..._joined_st.html

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Half of N.J. districts joined state's bid for Race to the Top school grants

By The Star-Ledger Continuous News Desk
January 16, 2010, 8:55AM

State officials said about half of the state's school districts joined the state's bid for $400 million in federal grants, a report in NorthJersey.com said.

Out of 591 districts and 67 charter schools, 361 districts and charter schools said they would participate in the bid for federal money, according to the report. But only 20 of the districts' unions pledge to participate, the report said. The state's Education department has said the state needs the resources for education, and the union's disapproval hurts the state's chances for the money.

But the New Jersey Education Association objects to the regulations for the grant, tying test scores for teachers' pay, and said it could cost districts more to pay for longer days for low-performing schools, the report said.