NASHVILLE - All but one of Tennessee's 136 school systems would share in half of any federal Race to the Top awards the state receives, according to officials.
"Fifty percent of the funding that is awarded through this opportunity goes directly to local education agencies," said consultant Susan Bodary, of Seattle, Wash.-based Education First Consulting.
Later today, the General Assembly is expected to start working on education reforms that Gov. Phil Bredesen says are needed if the state is to compete for as much as $500 million in Race to the Top grants.
If Tennessee is chosen, Race to the Top funds would go only to local districts committing to all or most of the state's plan. State Education Department Commissioner Tim Webb said Monday that only one school district - Elizabethton City Schools - has not signed on.
During a Senate hearing Monday, Sen. Tim Burchett, R-Knoxville, asked whether local school districts would simply take the money and "blow it." Other Republicans worried that the state and local systems would use one-time money for recurring programs.
Commissioner Webb said the one-time funding would go toward "building capacity," which he defined as professional development.
Gov. Bredesen has proposed several reforms, including linking teacher tenure, evaluations and possibly pay to student achievement as shown by test scores.
The federal funds would let officials show teachers how the state's Value Added Assessment System can help identify problems with students, Mr. Webb said.
See Wednesday's Times Free Press for complete coverage.