“From a broad perspective, the Department’s current plan is a working document, and we are eagerly seeking constructive feedback from stakeholder groups. Rather than view the Louisiana School Boards Association’s (LSBA) press release as opposition, we see this as an opportunity to address their expressed concerns. We are pleased that LSBA hasn’t made a formal decision, and our hope is that they would not dismiss this unprecedented opportunity prior to us receiving final USDOE regulations or while we are actively working to develop a collaborative plan. We are optimistic when we look at the number of LSBA members who expressed opposition. Based on their release, it would appear to be 68 -- or just over 10 percent of their membership.
We are also optimistic when we consider the statement issued by the National School Boards Association. ‘Overall, NSBA believes that the program will provide grant recipient states with a significant opportunity to build a results driven infrastructure and implement initiatives that will raise student achievement. RTTT can also provide a model from which recipient states and other states can learn and adopt strategies that will make a difference in the education of America’s school children.’
In addition to the State Summit on Race to the Top tomorrow, over the last several months, LDOE has met with stakeholder groups to hear their ideas and address their concerns regarding Race to the Top. In fact, we have a meeting with LSBA scheduled tomorrow (Thursday) morning.
And through this collaboration, we have drafted a proposed plan that considers the need to build enduring capacity in our districts, schools and the Department through proven strategies that can support immediate and long term success. Throughout the planning process, the sustainability of effective programs has been at the center of our framework.
We are convinced that Louisiana’s public education system can clearly benefit from Race to the Top, enabling us to effectively support schools, and at the same time, build the institutional structure to continue statewide school improvement beyond the life of the grant. Our current draft plan calls for us to expend funding over four year period. And each participating school is estimated to receive as much as $2 million. Districts and schools will also benefit from investments made through capacity-building initiatives at the state level.”
# # # # # # # # #
