Ohio appears well-positioned to win a share of $4 billion in federal education money, but the state’s budget problems and limits on charter schools could prove costly.
Although education officials believe Ohio can meet the requirements for funding, the most creative proposals will win out. “We have to think innovatively,” said Scott Blake, spokesman for the Ohio Department of Education.
Blake’s department is preparing the state’s application for the federal aid. Called “Race to the Top,” the money was set aside to create rigorous academic standards, data systems for measuring student success, tougher teacher evaluations, and to turn around low-performing schools. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is paying for private firms to help Ohio and 15 other states prepare their grant applications.
U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan has said the Obama administration wants to reward states willing to commit to significant education initiatives, including tax-funded, privately operated charter schools that have been controversial in Ohio and elsewhere.
“I think, based on outside evaluations that have been done by the Gates Foundation and others, Ohio is fairly well positioned for Race to the Top dollars,” said Terry Ryan, vice president for Ohio programs and policy at the Thomas B. Fordham Institute in Dayton.