CSUN University News Clippings

Senate OKs bill to help qualify state for federal education grant

(November 5, 2009)

By SCOTT MARTINDALE
Published: 11/04/09

The state Senate today approved a controversial bill to make California more competitive for $4.35 billion in federal education stimulus dollars, an important milestone that Orange County’s schools chief says will improve local campuses’ odds of getting much-needed financial relief.

Orange County schools Superintendent Bill Habermehl lauded the bill, which now heads to the state Assembly, as a measure that could help O.C. schools get millions of dollars from the competitive Race to the Top education grant.

The Senate’s bill removes a cap on the number of charter schools, gives students more flexibility to transfer out of poorly performing schools and provides state officials with new authority to intervene in failing schools.

“There are oodles of controversial issues in there,” Habermehl said, “but when you put good educators together with good minds, you can resolve all of these issues.”

The Obama administration’s Race to the Top program – in which states will compete for $4.35 billion in stimulus money – stipulates that states have a number of specific education reforms in place, including the ability to link teacher evaluations with student performance.

Sen. Gloria Romero, D-Los Angeles, the lead author of SBx5 1, told reporters today by phone that while Race to the Top may have provided an impetus for education reforms in California, it would have represented an important and necessary step regardless.

“This is about doing the right thing because this is the right thing to do,” Romero said.

Romero, the lead author of X5 1, wants the bill to be signed into law by the end of the year to demonstrate the state’s commitment to education reforms and to ensure California is prepared to apply for the first phase of Race to the Top funding early next year, her press secretary has said.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who has long championed California’s competitiveness for the federal stimulus money, also is behind the legislation.

Orange County schools stand to benefit tremendously if California wins federal grant money, which could be hundreds of millions of dollars, Habermehl said. The county has a number of schools and programs that are aligned with Obama’s education reform efforts, he said.

“I’d be extremely disappointed if Orange County didn’t qualify for as much money as we can possibly get,” Habermehl said.

Perhaps the most controversial aspect of Race to the Top eligibility in California is the notion of linking teacher evaluations to student test scores.

California lawmakers last month lifted a ban prohibiting this practice, because without removing the barrier, the state would have been ineligible to compete for the $4.35 billion in funds.

The bill’s language also would prohibit personal information gleaned through teacher evaluations from being used or disseminated illegally – a main point of concern for the California Teachers Association union.

Local and state teachers unions have come out against using student testing data to measure teacher quality. They have expressed doubts about changing the law, especially at a rushed pace, and question whether lifting the ban would improve student test

Publication: Orange County Register