Special Report
Education

Tenn. May Ask for Up to $500 Million in Fed. Grants

By The Associated Press — December 28, 2009 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

Tennessee may submit an application for as much as $500 million in federal “Race to the Top” money.

Gov. Phil Bredesen has called for a special legislative session in January to change education laws needed for Tennessee to qualify for a share of the $4.35 billion available to states that submit plans to reform K-12 education.

The Chattanooga Times Free Press reported Wednesday that the state would be asking for twice the amount suggested by the U.S. Department of Education.

States are divided into five competitive categories for funding, based on student populations. Tennessee is in a category for grants ranging between $150 and $250 million.

The ranges are considered “blueprints to guide states as they think through their budgets, but states may prepare budgets that are above or below the ranges specified,” according to the federal education department Web site.

“We want all states to put forth the most progressive education reform plan, put their best plan forward, and we’re going to judge those applications on the merits, no matter what the dollar figure,” U.S. Department of Education spokesman Justin Hamilton told the newspaper.

Tennessee Education Department spokeswoman Rachel Woods said the final figure could change by the time applications for the funding are due on Jan. 19.

“They want applications to really push the bar in terms of what you propose to do and not be limited based on how much funding you would expect to receive,” she said.

The special session scheduled to start Jan. 12 would consider whether to allow school officials to link teacher and principal evaluations and the initial granting of tenure to student performance. Other potential changes call for annual teacher evaluations and creating a statewide recovery district for failing schools.

Related Tags:

Copyright 2009 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Events

Jobs Virtual Career Fair for Teachers and K-12 Staff
Find teaching jobs and other jobs in K-12 education at the EdWeek Top School Jobs virtual career fair.
Ed-Tech Policy Webinar Artificial Intelligence in Practice: Building a Roadmap for AI Use in Schools
AI in education: game-changer or classroom chaos? Join our webinar & learn how to navigate this evolving tech responsibly.
Education Webinar Developing and Executing Impactful Research Campaigns to Fuel Your Ed Marketing Strategy 
Develop impactful research campaigns to fuel your marketing. Join the EdWeek Research Center for a webinar with actionable take-aways for companies who sell to K-12 districts.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Education Briefly Stated: March 13, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
9 min read
Education Briefly Stated: February 21, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
8 min read
Education Briefly Stated: February 7, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
8 min read
Education Briefly Stated: January 31, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
9 min read