New York Wins Race to the Top Funding

By Karen DeWitt

Albany, New York –
New York and nine other states are the winners in the federal Race to the Top competition. State leaders say the money is desperately needed.

Governor David Paterson and legislative leaders praised each other's performance in passing laws to increase the number of charter school in the state, and to reform the teacher evaluation process, two key factors that led New York to win nearly $700 million dollars in the competition, right behind Massachusetts. Paterson says the award "vindicates" their efforts.

"In these difficult and tough times this legislation will provide a foundation," said Paterson. "That will lead to academic success."

Earlier in the year, Paterson and Democrats in the State Assembly argued bitterly over the lifting of the charter school cap, from 200 to 460. A special session called by Paterson in January ended in acrimony. The state did not win funds in the first round of the Race to the Top competition.

The Assembly finally agreed to lifting the cap in late May. The state's major teachers union and the department of state education then agreed on a new plan to make student test scores a factor when evaluating teachers, and that was also passed by the legislature. With the state's win in the second round of the competition, all seems to be forgiven. Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver joined Paterson for the announcement.

"Clearly, the award could not have come at a better time," said Silver. "It is reform plus resources that produce educational results, that's the equation."

The money cannot be used to rehire laid off teachers, plug school's budget holes, or offset property taxes, even though schools lost $1.4 billion dollars in the most recent state budget.

Dave Albert, with the New York State Schools Board, says schools did get $607 million dollars in a recent stimulus package approved by Congress. He says that money can be spent on day to day expenses, and to hire back teachers.

Albert says the Race to the Top money is for longer term goals to help make New York's children more competitive in a global market by revising curriculum, and to build a data base, using test scores, to make teachers more accountable.

The money will also go towards improving the state's lowest performing schools, often in urban and rural areas, says State Education Commissioner David Steiner, who says students should not be in a situation where "the quality of what you learn depends on the geography in which you live".

There are strings attached to the award. The state education department and schools will have to prove to the federal officials that the money is actually helping kids learn.