Pa. clears a hurdle in race for school grant

Pennsylvania is one of 15 states plus the District of Columbia selected as finalists for a share of $4.35 billion in federal Race to the Top education reform grants, part of the federal economic-stimulus act passed last year.

If the state is announced as a winner in April, the Philadelphia district could get tens of millions of dollars as its share. Many of the 119 other districts that joined with the state to apply for the money, including 23 in the Philadelphia area, would likely get millions each as well. The state could get up to $400 million in all if it wins.

Race to the Top was set up to encourage states to, among other things, turn around failing schools, give charters a larger role, revamp teacher evaluations and pay systems, and help identify and aid struggling students.

State officials said they welcomed a shot at the funding. "Pennsylvania's emergence as a Race to the Top finalist is a direct reflection of not only the quality of the reforms outlined in our application, but also the effectiveness of the reforms that Pennsylvania already has undertaken," Gov. Rendell said in a statement. "We are extremely pleased to be among the handful of states to make the cut."

The finalists will undergo another review this month, and those getting first-round awards will be whittled down to "only a relatively small number" - in the single digits - U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said at a news conference yesterday.

Pennsylvania and the other finalists beat out 25 other states that had applied. New Jersey did not make the cut. Being a finalist in the first round increases Pennsylvania's chances of getting a second-round award if it does not win one next month. Second-round awards are set for September.

Pennsylvania signed up 120 school districts and 59 charter schools as partners in its application. If it is a winner, at least half of the money will be passed through to partner districts to help fund reform efforts. In the area, besides Philadelphia, Abington, Central Bucks, Chester Upland, Coatesville, Haverford, Norristown, and Upper Darby were among the participants.

The application required only that a representative of each district agree to go along with a state's plan in order to become a partner. Pennsylvania, however, got district administrations, school boards, and teachers unions to sign on, which likely gave it an edge.

Area superintendents were happy to hear the news.

Philadelphia Superintendent Arlene Ackerman said making the cut was "very significant," adding that "this is great news for Philadelphia and Pennsylvania."

She said that "the state's application was very much aligned with the kind of initiatives we are putting in place in Philadelphia," and gave credit to the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers for negotiating a contract that expanded cooperation between the district and the union in improving struggling schools.

"I don't think Pennsylvania would have been one of the finalists without that relationship" between the PFT and the district, Ackerman said.

The PFT and Pennsylvania State Education Association yesterday pledged their continuing support for the state's application.

Chester Upland Superintendent Gregory Thornton said his district would use the money to "transform" three schools and improve its management capabilities. "If more money is available, we will see a higher performance level," he added.

"It's spectacular news. I'm thrilled for the opportunity this will give us financially as well as educationally," Upper Darby Superintendent Louis DeVlieger said. He said the money would enable the district to pay for literacy coaches, math coaches, additional English Language Learner support, and tutoring that would be difficult to sustain without more funding.

The state's Race to the Top application included plans for an overhaul of 128 persistently low-performing "turnaround schools." Philadelphia has 76; the other districts in the region with turnaround schools are Chester Upland, Norristown, Southeast Delco, Upper Darby, and William Penn. Turnaround schools will share more than $120 million if the state gets the award it is seeking.

The districts and charter schools that became partners in the application enroll more than 650,000 students, including 56 percent of the state's low-income students, 75 percent of its African American students, and 71 percent of Hispanic students, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Education.