SEATTLE — Nearly 230 of Washington state’s 295 school districts have signed on to the state’s application for $250 million in federal funding for education reform, state education officials said Monday.
A little more than a month ago, Gov. Chris Gregoire asked the districts to join her campaign for Washington to win a grant from the highly competitive federal Race to the Top program, saying, “everybody has to be part of the game for us to qualify.”
Monday was the deadline for districts to say if they would participate, but the governor and the state education department were expecting more partnership agreements to trickle in over the next few days.
The statewide teachers union and the superintendent and principal associations have already expressed their support for Washington’s reform plan, but the governor has asked local representatives to sign a partnership agreement.
The reform plan calls for higher academic standards, more preschool education and an emphasis on science and math.
The state has also committed to adopting national academic standards now in development, and will create financial incentives to get the best teachers and principals into rural, high-poverty and low-achieving schools.
“I think it’s going very well,” said Nate Olson, spokesman for the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction.
Each school district needs four signatures to get on the list: the district superintendent, as well as leaders of its school board, principals and teachers union.
The Seattle teachers union voted Monday evening to participate, as long as the district sticks to its agreement that any changes to the teachers’ contract are negotiated between teachers and the district. The school board for the state’s largest school district had already voted to join, as have the principals and the district superintendent.
Gregoire believes statewide involvement will give Washington an edge in the competition. Last week, she spoke at the Washington Education Association’s representative assembly, encouraging local teachers union leaders to sign on.
“We are optimistic that they’re going to keep on coming in,” said Viet Shelton, a spokesman for the governor. “There’s no line in the sand. It’s a matter of getting as close as we can to all. That should be our goal.”
Washington’s application for Race to the Top is due in June. Winners are scheduled to be announced in September.
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Online:
Washington’s Race to the Top, www.waracetothetop.org/index.htm
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