No to Race to the Top

Last night Obama gave his State of the Union address. I will write some reflections about that in another blog. At the same time I gave a speech to our school board about the Obama Administration's Grant Offering "Race to the Top". At the recommendation of the president of the California Teacher's Association, I, as president of our local association, refused to sign. Here is my explanation for not signing.

Speech before the School Board
January 26, 2010

Our superintendent, school board members, parents, Teachers, Administrators, and students-we are all aware that school budgets have been stretched beyond what was incomprehensible just a few years ago. (Most of you are aware of the tenuous funding of schools in California. Ever since the passage of Proposition 13 to reduce property taxes, it has been a steady slide downward for schools in California- kindergarten through the University system. We have, I think, almost hit bottom, but next year promises to be worse.)

So whenever a possible pot of money becomes available for our schools, we are all on board to see what we must do to make that money come to us. The hope is that the money could at least bring back the schools that existed only a year ago.

Schools where the library is open for a full day and after school;
schools that can provide modern technology and text books for students;
schools that can keep the heat on at least until 4 or 5 PM when many of the teachers go home (I am one of those teachers who stays here in the freezing cold and tries to do his lesson plans for the next day.); schools that know the value of small classes for English and Math students;
schools that keep relevant programs, such as computer skills, instead of dropping them. (Here also I am speaking about my computer skills classes that were cut this year because of budget cuts.)
(also I should have said- due to large class sizes and budget cuts classrooms do not have enough desks.' Here I am specifically talking about my classroom, where I am two desks short and have been trying for two weeks to get 2 desks in here, so every student can have a place to sit.)
We all want these programs that work for students.

Forgive the partisan revelation, but when the people of the United States elected Barak Obama president, I thought that real change was on our doorstep. But I started to rethink my position as I saw the Secretary of Education, unfold his plan for reform.

I am, of course, speaking of Race to the Top.

When the administration unveiled the plan, I was ready to jump on board because I was a true believer. I clung to a hope and trust that this administration would choose knowledgeable people with the interest of students at heart. (We actually had a document that we were ready to sign with the superintendent, approved by the CTA.)

To cut to the chase, I hoped against hope that I could join the superintendent and the board in signing the Memorandum of Understanding as part of the application for competing for Race to the Top funds.

Here is why I think Race to the Top is a bad idea.

RTTT relies on a three pronged strategy for reform:
1. Institution of more charter schools
2. Closing local schools that are failing
3. Merit pay for teachers and administrators
(There are actually other things involved but these three are ones that our association has strong objections to.)
Research consistently shows one thing about charter schools- that just like our traditional schools, some are good and some are bad.

Under RTTT schools with a API decile score of under 800, parents only need a simple majority to close a school – HOWEVER, Under performing schools need the input of educators and funding first to see if the can turn around. Closing schools means displacement of students, increased transportation costs and a scramble for parents to find a school that will meet the needs of their children.

Merit Pay- we as teachers, know something about merit pay- Merit pay divides faculties. Nevertheless evaluation of teachers is important but it’s broken and we need well-trained and competent teachers for our children. The California Teachers’ Association supports incentive pay- rewarding teachers who take on students with the greatest needs, especially in lower performing schools. We support teacher assessment based on the systematic collection of evidence that supports desired student outcomes.

But also I have some deeper concerns about the Department of Education, Arnie Duncan, his advisers and the whole orientation of the Federal Plan. There is a clue in the name:
Race To The Top.

Race to the Top is as it implies, a competition among school districts and schools for scarce resources. It comes from advisors who believe that schools are like businesses. Students are like widgets. Arnie Duncan, - not a former teacher OR EDUCATOR OR SCHOOL ADMINISTRATOR- listens to a group of advisors who are from the Democratic Business Class.

You have heard of Bill Gates.
(1. The Gates Foundation gave $250,000 each to 15 states to help them with the application for Race to the top. 2. AP's Lbby Quaid and Donna Blankenship report. But now the foundation is taking "unprecedented steps to influence education policy, spending millions to influence how the federal government distributes nearly $5 billion in grants to overhaul public schools. The federal dollars are unprecedented, too.''Chicago Tribune, October 25, 2009 3. James Shelton, a former program officer at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, is now heading the U.S. Department of Education office that was seen under President George W. Bush as a way to help promote charter schools and choice. Education Week)

I will add a couple of other items that make me uncomfortable:

The small amount of money that Race to the Top offers COMES WITH an unprecedented amount of oversight and control from Washington, D.C.

We support assessment with high standards, such as the California Content Standards- the most demanding in the country. We do not support a one size fits all imposition of national standards.

We fear that Race to the Top is an extension of No Child Left Behind- one time monies that will impose more unfunded mandates on our schools.

We are desperately in need of money to fund our schools, but as one of our Rep Council members so cogently phrased it:

“Can we sign a contract, when we don’t know what is on it?”

Thank You