The state Senate has passed a measure that aims to ensure California can compete for $4.35 billion in federal Race to the Top funding. In the meantime, ACSA is analyzing changes to the RTT application that were released late last week.

The Senate approved SBX5 1, Romero, D-Los Angeles, which will implement a number of educational reform measures outlined by the Obama Administration and supported by Gov. Arnold Schwarz-enegger, who called a special session to address this issue.

“The Senate’s action takes us one step closer toward an historic victory for California’s schools,” Schwarzenegger said. “I called this special legislative session and proposed this package because as elected leaders, we must do everything in our power to improve our schools and secure additional funding from President Obama’s multi-billion dollar national education funding competition.”

Outstanding federal competitiveness requirements addressed in SBX5 1 include:

• implementing reform strategies in the bottom 5 percent of persistently low-performing schools;

• allowing parents more freedom to choose the school that best serves their children by authorizing open enrollment for students in the lowest-performing schools;

• reinforcing a school district’s authority and ability to reward teachers who consistently improve student achievement; and

• repealing California’s charter school cap.

 But ACSA has concerns over the bill because it puts in place reforms in California prior to final RTT guidance and reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.

“We should be focusing on working together to develop a thoughtful Race to the Top plan, rather than adding new laws that may be unnecessary or that may conflict with the final guidelines,” said ACSA President and Santa Clara County Superintendent of Schools Chuck Weis.

Weis said analyses show there may be no need for changes to state law to apply for Race to the Top, and premature reforms will have long term and potentially unnecessary consequences for students and schools. 


SBX5 1 now goes to the Assembly.