DENVER—Colorado is getting an extra $18 million from the federal government to change how it teaches students and measures their educators.
Great news? Sure.
But Colorado’s award in the latest “Race to the Top” announcement was like matching most numbers on a lottery ticket but missing the big jackpot. It won’t nearly cover the kinds of changes Colorado has made in recent years, from a new statewide teacher rating system to new curriculum standards for kids.
A state audit prepared earlier this year said that implementing the changes in Colorado will cost at least $384 million.
That doesn’t count one of the most controversial changes made with an eye toward competing for billions in “Race to the Top” awards—new teacher evaluation standards to determine which get job protections sometimes called tenure. And the expenses come after years of state budget cuts that have prompted teacher layoffs and bigger class sizes.
Colorado’s $17.8 million grant announced Friday will be divided into four areas and spread over four years. And half must go to local school districts, setting up awards as paltry as $519 for one tiny rural district.
“This is obviously not the kind of money we discussed a year or two ago. It’s significantly less,” said Henry Roman, head of the Denver Classroom Teachers Association.
But state officials were quick Friday to laud the latest “Race to the Top” award. They say it validates Colorado’s decisions in recent years to remake how students and their teachers are taught and evaluated.
“It’s a tremendous validation and recognition that Colorado has been and is on the right track,” said Jill Hawley, chief of staff in strategy for the Colorado Department of Education. “We really view these funds as giving us a jolt in the arm.”
It’s a much-needed jolt. Colorado so far has had to implement its education changes with the money already on hand, helped by private gifts on occasion from groups such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Colorado’s application for this round of Race to the Top money, for example, cost an estimated $60,000, all paid with private donations.
Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper has proposed a budget for next year that would set aside $7.7 million for implementing the teacher evaluation standards.
Supporters of the federal program argue that it’s worked as intended—states have scrambled to make changes prompted by the contest.
U.S. Rep. Jared Polis, a Democrat from Boulder and proponent of the Race to the Top program, said Colorado should be proud of its changes even though it missed the largest prizes.
“What we’ve already achieved in Colorado without receiving a single penny is substantial,” Polis said Friday.
The sponsor of 2010’s divisive teacher-tenure bill, Democratic Sen. Mike Johnston of Denver, insisted Colorado “didn’t change course for Race to the Top.”
But he said the contest has been a valuable enticement for all states, sparking change even in states not awarded.
“It’s probably the most effective use of federal dollars in education in a generation,” Johnston said.
Even critics of the teacher-tenure change, such as Democratic Sen. Evie Hudak, were upbeat about the small grant. During the debate, Hudak questioned making education changes without having the money to pay for them, but she was circumspect Friday.
“Any additional funding we receive is worth it because we’ve had tremendous education cuts over the years,” Hudak said.
Roman, the Denver teacher, says he was skeptical about the teacher-tenure standards, especially after Colorado was passed over for federal grants to pay for them in earlier Race to the Top rounds. But he said Friday the small grant will be a blessing as the standards are tested in 15 districts next year.
“They’re very constrained by the budget, but in spite of that they’re doing great work,” he said of the state Education Department.
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Online:
Colorado audit on school overhaul costs:
District-by-district Race to the Top awards:
