378 N.J. Districts Sign on to Race to the Top

Nearly 60 percent of the state’s school districts have agreed to participate in initiatives proposed in New Jersey’s “Race to the Top” grant application, Assistant Commissioner of Education Willa Spicer announced at Wednesday’s State Board of Education meeting.

Part of the federal economic stimulus program, Race to the Top will provide approximately $5 billion to public schools nationwide through competitive grants among the states. If New Jersey is awarded a grant, its public schools could receive $200 million to $400 million for initiatives focused on four areas: standards and assessment, data systems, improving the performance of teachers and administrators, and turning around persistently low-performing schools.

Half of the Race to the Top funds would be shared among school districts that operate Title I programs. The remaining 50 percent will be used to fund state and district activities in support of the comprehensive program, according to the state education department.

NJSBA Cites Support New Jersey’s application package, submitted to the U.S. Department of Education on Tuesday, includes a letter of endorsement from NJSBA Executive Director Marie S. Bilik. She commended the proposal’s “innovative strategies to expand educational opportunity, to improve the evaluation of teachers, and to continue our state’s progress in closing the academic achievement gap.”

The high level of interest in the state’s grant application comes in spite of the New Jersey Education Association’s recommendation to its local affiliates not to sign the memorandums of understanding, which school districts had to submit in order to participate. All of the 378 memorandums submitted by school districts included the signatures of the school board president and superintendent. However, only a handful of the documents contained the local union president’s signature.

The full text of the state's Race to the Top application is available on the New Jersey Department of Education Web site.

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