Florida a finalist in Race to The Top

Suwannee seeks its share of $4.35 billion prize

By Carnell Hawthorne Jr., Reporter

Suwannee and other school districts within the state are one step closer to getting a share of the $4.35 billion set aside under the Federal Race to the Top Program according to a recent announcement by Gov. Charlie Crist.

The announcement that Florida has been named a finalist in phase 1 of the education reform competition came March 4.

Florida was one of only 16 finalists (states) chosen from a pool of 41 applicants to proceed to the next stage of the competition. Race to the Top winners will receive funding to implement comprehensive education reform plans designed to accelerate student learning and improve the quality of education.

"The district looks forward to working with union officials and DOE

authorities to using Race to the Top funds to benefit our students. We

hope the funding makes its way to Suwannee County," said Cheryl Mae Brinson,

Director of Curriculum and Instruction.

As part of the next phase, representatives from the Florida Department of Education will explain Florida's application to federal officers and take part in an interview session scheduled the week of March 15.

The presentations will be videotaped and posted online for viewing after the winners are announced, but that's not the end of the process. At the conclusion of the finalist presentations, the reviewers will meet again to discuss each application, finalize scores and comments, and submit them to the U.S. Department of Education for a final decision on the distribution of funds.

Fifty percent of a state's total award will be disbursed to participating school districts according to a federal funding formula (similarly used for Title I), and the remaining 50 percent will fund state-level projects designed to benefit all school districts statewide.

Officials from the Florida Department of Education press office were unable to say how many states are expected to receive grant funding. A representative from that office, who declined to give her name, said that the final decision for the numbers of winners will be made by the United States Department of Education in Washington.

Winners of the competition are expected to be announced in early April.

For more about the Race to the Top, visit www.fldoe.org/ARRA/RacetotheTop.asp.

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