The Echo

5. Does an LEA have to participate in the state’s RTTT plan? If so, how much?

No. The LEA may choose not to participate, or it may decide only to participate in certain parts of the state’s reform agenda. However, the extent to which LEAs participate significantly or totally in the state’s plan will be evaluated in the application. LEAs may also choose only to be “involved” (i.e., not “participate” by signing an MOU but instead agreeing at a later time to comply with some or all statewide reform efforts). “Involved” LEAs would not receive their share of the RTTT money as a “participating LEA” would, but they may receive some money to implement the reform efforts they become associated with.

8. What “red flag” areas of the state’s application might I watch out for?

• Bypassing or excluding some eligible local affiliates in the state’s MOU for participating LEAs (Note: an LEA does not have to have an existing collective bargaining agreement with the local for that local to be eligible to “sign off” on the MOU)
• Skewing teacher evaluations toward student test scores only, not on student “growth” or multiple measures as required
• Does the charter school policy include ways to monitor charter school authorization, performance and student population as encouraged by the application?
• Applications that minimize “transformation” strategies in favor of the other intervention models for struggling schools
• Lack of stakeholder (including teacher and ESP) input into decisionmaking regarding struggling schools
• Teacher evaluation systems not developed with teacher input
• Teacher evaluations automatically leading to decisions on compensation, retention, removal etc., not “informing them” along with other procedures
• Not enough emphasis on the positive “Great Teachers and Leaders” Criterion, especially professional development and educator input as part of all 4 reform areas

9. How does RTTT relate to other ARRA programs?


a) State Fiscal Stabilization Fund (SFSF) . The state must receive approval over its Phases I and II SFSF application prior to receiving a RTTT award. These requirements are significant and impact schools. The Phase II SFSF application is due on January 11, 2010. All states receive between $22 million and $1.1 billion in extra education funding upon approval of its Phase II application.

b) Investing in Innovation (i3). This is the $650 million pot of money with similar goals to RTTT except it is available to LEA and nonprofit (in partnership with schools or LEAs) applicants directly. The final requirements and application procedures for i3 will be released shortly.

c) Title I School Improvement Grants (SIG) . This is a separate $3.5 billion program for persistently low‐achieving schools. The final SIG requirements for this program were released on December 3. The deadline for the state to apply for SIG funds is February 8, 2010. UNION INVOLVEMENT: Note that, unlike RTTT, for SIG the SEA(State) must consult with a "Committee of Practitioners" under ESEA Section 1903(b) prior to submitting its application for SIG funds. This committee includes "teachers, including vocational educators" but not necessarily unions. Other stakeholders may be consulted as well: "The Department recommends that the SEA also consult with other stakeholders such as potential external providers, teachers’ unions, and business, civil rights, and community leaders that have an interest in its application." This language is concerning the SIG application only, not possible union involvement prior to implementation of intervention models at the local level.