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Groveport Madison Schools won't seek Race to the Top funding
(by Rick Palsgrove, Southeast Editor - January 14, 2010)
Groveport Madison Local Schools were among approximately 60 percent of Ohio school districts that did not seek federal Race to the Top educational funding.
Speaking at the Groveport Madison Board of Education's Jan. 13 meeting, Superintendent Scott McKenzie said the tight deadline to apply thwarted the district's effort to obtain the potential $184,000 a year for four years that the program could have provided for educational purposes.
"It's unfortunate we didn't have enough time to work with the GMLEA (Groveport Madison Local Education Association teachers' union) on it," said McKenzie, who said the district received information on Race to the Top in late December with an early January deadline. (The GMLEA, school board president, and superintendent all had to sign on to apply.)
To qualify for Race to the Top funds, districts must agree to enact policies that strengthen academics and connect teachers' pay to students' performance. McKenzie said the district administration was working to iron out details with the GMLEA when "time ran out" for filing.
However, McKenzie noted that the district does still receive its $1.9 million in Title I funds each year and this year is getting an additional $1.2 million in Title I stimulus money to be used for improving academics.
Board member Nathan Slonaker expressed disappointment in the district's failure to file for Race to the Top monies, noting many other schools filed on time.
"We've missed an opportunity to take a step to be on the forefront of education reform," said Slonaker. "It was an opportunity to rethink how we do certain things in education and to improve student test scores and achievement."
GMLEA President Tammy Rodich said the GMLEA strived to reach an understanding with the district in the short time period given to review the Race to the Top.
"We were left with many unanswered questions about whether or not there would even be enough money to cover the cost of the mandates required by the grant, as well as how the grant would specifically impact our negotiated agreement, and ultimately our students," said Rodich.
She said the GMLEA indicated it would be willing to sign the state's memorandum of understanding (MOU) if the district would sign a supplemental MOU based on the sample MOU provided by the Ohio Education Association. Rodich stated the GMLEA received a counter offer from the district, but not in time to reconvene its executive board for discussion, which had approved only the supplemental MOU that GMLEA had proposed to the administration, which she said the district did not show an interest in signing.
"The GMLEA regrets that there was not more time to thoughtfully explore this grant and its implications for our district," said Rodich.
Slonaker maintained district officials believe the state's MOU protected teachers' contracts and collective bargaining agreements thereby making the GMLEA's supplemental MOU unnecessary.
Other Groveport Madison news
•The board approved the creation of the position of secondary school improvement director to work with students in grades 7-12. The position, which pays $98,099 per year, will be filled by Monique Hamilton, who was an assistant principal at the high school where she made $91,700 per year. The new job is in addition to Director of School Improvement Susan Briggs, who works with students in K-6.
•The board honored band director Sarah Brown, her staff, and the Groveport Madison High School Marching Band for earning a superior rating at state competition in November. Under Brown, the band has qualified for state 21 times and earned a superior rating 19 times. They are one of only 30 bands to qualify for state each of the last 20 years.
•The board elected Mary Tedrow as board president and Charlotte Barker as board vice president, each by split 3-2 votes. In both votes, those voting in favor were Tedrow, Barker, and Nancy Gillespie and those opposed were Bryan Shoemaker and Slonaker.
•The board set its meeting schedule for 2010. From February through June, the board will meet on the second Thursday of the month; from July to December they will meet on the second Wednesday of the month. Meetings are at 7 p.m. in the Madison Township Community Center, 4575 Madison Lane, Groveport.
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