Carmen McCollum, Times of Northwest Indiana
Local educators were stunned to hear that Indiana did not make the list of finalists in the Race to the Top competition.
The Race to the Top competition rewards states that are leading the way with ambitious yet achievable plans for implementing coherent, compelling and comprehensive education reform.
Hebron Superintendent George Letz said in every meeting that he has been in that involved Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Bennett, Bennett seemed confident that Indiana would be one of the states selected to receive the funding.
"I think Dr. Bennett will still move ahead with the provisions in Race to the Top such as developing an evaluation plan which would include student test scores as part of an evaluation process for teachers and principals. I think he will continue to support charter schools. I am sure that the fact that Kentucky was chosen, and it doesn't have a charter school law, is confusing to Dr. Bennett and the governor," Letz said.
Patrick O'Rourke, president of the Hammond Federation of Teachers, said he was a member of a subcommittee pulled together by Bennett and Gov. Mitch Daniels to work on the Race to the Top application.
"We thought we submitted a good plan," O'Rourke said. "Naturally, I'm disappointed. I anticipate this just being a blip on the radar. I think we will resubmit our application for round II. I think we had a lot of good ideas in our proposal. I anticipate that Dr. Bennett and the education department are going to roll up their sleeves and go after the dollars in Round II."
The U.S. Department of Education named 16 states as finalists in the first round of funding Thursday. Winners will be chosen in April. Forty states had applied in the first round. A second round of applications will be accepted in June.
Bennett said Thursday the state will move forward with reforms, albeit at a slower place without the backing of federal dollars.
"I am somewhat confused, disappointed and surprised at why we weren't selected," Bennett said Thursday by telephone from his office in Indianapolis.
"I am not sure what we will receive from the review. I believe we met the parameters that were set forth to have a successful plan."
"We will begin implementing our plan. Our intent is to reshape education in Indiana," Bennett said.
Union Township Superintendent John Hunter said his district had planned to pull out of the application process because pending was an agreement with its teacher association to modify the evaluation for Race to the Top application.
School districts which signed on to the state's application had to have the agreement of its teacher's union. All 23 schools districts in Lake and Porter counties, along with several charter schools, signed on to be part of the proposal.
It is intended that Race to the Top winners would trail blaze effective reform and provide examples for states and local school districts throughout the country to follow as they also work on reforms in their respective states.
Indiana applied for a piece of the $4.35 billion in school reform grants through the Race to the Top application process.