Teachers' Union, State Spar Over Federal Grant Bid

Montpelier, Vt.

The president of Vermont's main teachers' union complained Monday that teachers had been cut out of the process of applying for a federal grant that could net the state $38 million for schools in a time of strapped budgets.

The state commissioner of education, Armando Vilaseca, disputed the complaint but said the state likely won't get the money anyway because it lacks the charter schools and teacher pay tied to student performance being pushed by President Barack Obama's administration.

At issue is money from the Race to the Top program, a $4.5 billion package of incentives administered by the U.S. Department of Education...