Area schools hope to benefit from N.C.'s pursuit of federal funds

North Carolina schools could get an extra $400 million in federal stimulus money if the state is selected for a special education reforms program.

The U.S. Department of Education is funding one of the largest competitive education grant programs in history, at $4 billion. Not every state will receive money from the grant, which will go to turning around lower-achieving schools, having better trained teachers and staff and helping more students become college-ready.

"It's a competitive grant program to encourage reforms in schools and to turn around struggling schools," said Timothy Markley, superintendent of Catawba County Schools.

North Carolina is applying to be one of the few states that receives $400 million of that $4 billion in grant money in the program, which is called Race to the Top.

Markley said North Carolina is at an advantage over many other states because education is state-driven.

"We can do things at a state level to help move us along that other states don't do," he said. "Here, the state provides 70 percent of our funding. In other states, it's reversed and the local government provides most of the money."

If the state is selected, the money will be divided up among the school districts that choose to participate by signing a memorandum of understanding. Half of that money must go to school districts based on how money for Title 1, or schools with low-income population, is distributed.

Catawba County Schools has eight Title 1 elementary schools.

The other half will be based on struggling schools.

It's estimated that Catawba County Schools would receive $270,000 a year for four years, Markley said.

In exchange for that money, the participating school districts in North Carolina will have to abide by the state's proposal to improve education. This includes factors that the nation is heading toward when the No Child Left Behind legislation will likely be discussed in Congress next year.

"The state's proposal includes improving teacher quality and administrator quality," Markley said.

Other parts of the proposal include:

• increasing the high school graduation rate and producing more career- and college-ready graduates,

• increasing the number of students completing capstone courses,

• increasing the number of students headed to college,

• decreasing the need for remedial courses in college and

• improving student achievement at low-performing schools.

"We have to get the grant application, but the goals mirror where the (No Child Left Behind) authorization will be headed," Markley said. "We should get in early on the state level and get money out of it."

States are selected for the grant based on their standards and assessments and the state's overall success factor in education. They are also judged on data systems to support instruction and the teachers and leaders within the school systems and turning around low-achieving schools. States are awarded 500 points, with each category given a specific number of points.

"With assessment, (North Carolina) has rigorous testing in place," Markley said. "For data systems, we have N.C. WISE to keep track of student data. For the teachers portion, the state is revamping the teacher evaluation process, which the state is getting ready to roll out next year."

Applications for the program are due in January. If North Carolina is chosen as one of the participating states, the participating school districts must use their money in a way that complies with the state plan. The U.S. Department of Education states that new construction is discouraged.

"With the extra money, we might use some of it for training and education for teachers. It depends on the state guidelines," Markley said. "We'll also help our Title 1 schools."

Hickory Public Schools and Newton-Conover City Schools also plan to participate in the program.