Updated 02.01.10
RTTT Overview
Learn about the effects of a local union's signature on the Race To The Top Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and the four major points of the California Plan.
Read the RTTT Overview
View Chart from U.S. Dept. of Education's RTTT Application Guide
Updated 01.06.10
Legislature Passes RTTT Bills
Two CTA-opposed Race to the Top bills -- SBx5 1 and SBx5 4 -- have passed the Legislature and are headed to governor who has agreed to sign them.
CTA opposed the bills, as they would create chaos in school districts and drain resources from local classrooms, and punish lower-performing schools without providing needed assistance.
Updated 01.04.10
Help Defeat 2 Bills Now Carrying Bad RTTT Proposals
Contact the State Assembly and Senate!
CTA-opposed SBX5 4 (Romero) has been split into two bills, and your help is urgently needed to defeat both bills in the Assembly and Senate on Tuesday, Jan. 5. The amended version of SBX5 4 contains two of the most objectionable ideas developed in this special session on education: open enrollment and parent trigger.
The second bill, SBX5 1 (Steinberg and Brownley) adds provisions that do not meet current federal requirements on teacher credentialing. Worse, the two bills are now “double-joined,” meaning that both must be passed and signed by the governor for either to take effect.
The Assembly Education Committee is scheduled to consider both bills on Tuesday, January 5. If the bills pass out of the Education Committee, they will go to the Assembly Appropriations Committee and then to the Assembly floor. If the Assembly approves the bills, the legislation will head quickly to the Senate. That’s why it’s urgent that you contact your Assembly Member and your State Senator right now.
Read LegAlert and Take Action!
Updated 01.03.10
Defeat Newest Version of Bad Race to the Top Bill
Vote could take place on Monday, Jan. 4!
Your help is needed immediately to defeat another attempt by legislative leaders to jam through the Assembly their new version of a bad Race to the Top bill.
The new version – SBx5 4 by Sen. Gloria Romero – contains onerous provisions that will create chaos in local school districts, drain resources from local classrooms, and punish lower-performing schools without providing them with assistance.
The Assembly Education Committee is scheduled to consider the bill on Mon., Jan. 4. If the bill escapes from the Education Committee, the full Assembly could vote on the bill the same day. Please make contact with your Assembly Member right now!
Read LegAlert and Take Action!
Updated 01.02.10
Senate Approves Compromise RTTT Bill
Assembly expected to vote in early January on compromise legislation.
The state Senate has approved compromise legislation pertaining to California’s application for federal Race to the Top funds. SBx5 4 by Senator Gloria Romero was approved by a vote of 21 to 7. CTA opposed this final bill as it continued to include a few provisions that were not required by RTTT, would have created chaos in local school districts and would have drained money from California classrooms.
Although the amendments regarding open enrollment and allowing 50 percent of parents to sign a petition and add their school to the federal sanction list were scaled back and limited, they remained in this compromise bill and are why CTA took an oppose position.
The open enrollment requirement was imported directly from Romero’s original bill with all the same flaws. The option is now limited to students enrolled in Decile 1 schools. (Original bill was Deciles 1-3)
The so-called Parent Empowerment section still allows a parent petition to trigger school restructuring, but there is now a cap of 75 schools where this trigger can apply. SBx5 4 did remove the proposal to lift the existing cap on the annual increase of charter schools. Members of the Education Coalition and other community groups joined CTA is opposing the compromise legislation.
Assembly and Senate leaders are now negotiating with the governor to announce the compromise legislation. The Assembly is expected to vote in early January.
Updated 11.12.09
Race to Top Regulations Finalized
The rules have been finalized for the $4 billion contest for "Race to the Top" federal grants. Thanks to efforts by CTA and others, the regulations now require that the testing system criterion include multiple measures, as opposed to the one size fits all testing criterion in the original regulations. The awards will be given out in two rounds, with the first applications due in mid-January and the second set due June 1. All awards will be made by Sept. 30, 2010.
Review Summary of Final Regs
Read Education Week Story
See NEA Statement
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