PDF: Georgia AppendixPDF: Georgia second round application
Georgia has a second chance to win $400 million from the federal Race to the Top grant competition, and Dade County Schools will join the contest.
The state was named Tuesday among 19 finalists that could receive part of the $3 billion program aimed at spurring innovative reforms to raise student achievement and turn around failing schools.
Georgia came in third during the first round of the program announced March, barely losing out to Tennessee and Delaware. There were 23 Georgia systems in competition then, although Walker County declined an invitation to participate.
Dade and two other systems joined for Round 2.
HOW IT WORKSUnder the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the U.S. Department Education will obligate all funds to winning states by Sept. 30. Those states have four years to implement their plans and spend their grant money. States and schools systems are accountable for meeting the goals, timelines, budgets and annual targets established in the states' applications, and a fund drawdown schedule is tied to them.SYSTEMS SIGNED ON*Dade, *Pulaski, *Peach, Atlanta, Ben Hill, Bibb, Burke, Carrollton, Chatham, Cherokee, Clayton, DeKalb, Dougherty, Gainesville, Gwinnett, Hall, Henry, Jones, Meriwether, Muscogee, Rabun, Richmond, Rockdale, Spalding, Valdosta and White.*Added in second-round applicationSource: Georgia governor's officeSTATE FINALISTSArizona, California, Colorado, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and South Carolina
Dade County Superintendent Patty Priest said officials there are excited about the possibility that Georgia could win Race funding.
Dade schools can only benefit from being on the front end of reform efforts, Priest said.
"I think the Race to the Top is leading the way to the reauthorization of the (Elementary and Secondary Education Act)," she said. "I think that will just enable us to be ahead of the game by being a part of this. I think the reform will be good."
Priest wasn't too worried that lack of participation would hamper Georgia's win chances.
The small number of counties that signed memorandums of understanding drew criticism from two of the major professional teacher organizations in the state, the Professional Association of Georgia Educators and the Georgia Association of Education.
Officials from the organizations said Gov. Sonny Perdue didn't seek enough participation from districts, teachers or support of the organizations.
Perdue's policy director, Erin Hames, said a couple of months ago that she "didn't seem to think that would impact whether the state gets the grant because most of the systems are the larger systems in the Georgia."
Perdue said he looks forward to "celebrating a win in this race" when awards are given out in September.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.